The Pocomoke Public Eye

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Pocomoke Crime Reports for the Month of June

Pocomoke Fire Department Annual Chicken BBQ

The Pocomoke City Vol. Fire Company will have their Annual Chicken Bar-B-Q

July 2nd, 3rd, & 4th on Route 13

South of Pocomoke City.

The menu includes: 1/2 chicken, baked beans, potato salad and a roll.
cost is $7.00 by Ticket and $8.00 without(at the door).

Sunday sales will be while supplies last.

Tickets are available from any Pocomoke Fireman or at First Shore Federal on Market Street in Pocomoke City.

This is one of the main fundraisers for the Fire Company, your support is appreciated.

Have a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday.

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Delaware Cop's Gun Stollen / Arrests Made

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) - The man who allegedly stole and sold an off-duty Delaware police officer's gun was arrested Thursday, as was the man who allegedly bought the stolen weapon.

John Sobran, 19, of Virginia Beach, has been charged with stealing the gun with the intent to sell it, discharging a firearm in public, removing a firearm serial number, entering a motor vehicle (where he allegedly found the gun), and conspiring to trespass.

Gary King, also 19, of Virginia Beach, allegedly purchased the gun from Sobran. When he was arrested, he had the stolen firearm in the possession. He was charged with receipt of a stolen firearm and removal of a firearm serial number.

The officer had been visiting from Delaware when the gun was stolen from a parked car in front of a residence. The officer's badge and the gun holster were found near the car.

Both Sobran and King were taken to the Virginia Beach Correctional Facility. Sobran received $2,500 bond; King receive $3,000 bond.

www.wavy.com

Lindsay Lohan Gets Birthday Punch In the Face

LOS ANGELES -- Actress Lindsay Lohan says she got an unwanted 24th birthday present from a Los Angeles waitress -- a punch in the face!

It happened at the Voyeur Night Club on Santa Monica Boulevard early Friday morning, according to witnesses.

Lohan confirmed the incident on her twitter page.

"A waitress just hit me -- punched me for no reason," Lohan said in a Tweet around 1 a.m..

The "Mean Girls" actress, who was ordered last month to wear an ankle bracelet which detects alcohol, was sipping Red Bulls and hid her SCRAM device under her thigh-high boots, according to witnesses.

Witnesses also the reason for the punch was jealousy. The waitress was upset because Lohan was hanging out with "Hills" actor Doug Reinhardt.

Lohan actually started crying when she bumped into the same waitress later in the evening at the nearby Rockstar House, witnesses say.

www.baltimoresun.com

Lohan was also seen with British rugby star Danny Cipriani.

In 2007, Lohan was charged with reckless driving, drunken driving, and driving under the influence of cocaine. She was sentenced to probation and mandatory alcohol education classes.

Lohan recently missed a court date in the case claiming her passport had been stolen while she was at the Cannes film festival in France.

Marine Fatally Shot While Celebrating Before Deployment

In the latest of a string of Baltimore-area killings involving servicemen, a Marine about to be redeployed to Afghanistan was shot at a downtown hookah bar early Friday.

Chase Love, a 26-year-old from New Orleans, was shot once in the chest after an altercation in the lounge between 3:15 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. He said Love was celebrating with fellow Marines before returning to Afghanistan.

Guglielmi said police are interviewing bouncers and other witnesses but have identified no suspects or persons of interest in the shooting.

"Chase was one of the funniest, most loving people I've ever known," said Kathey Early, who knew him from the Road Runners Club, the summer track team she and her husband run in Louisiana. "We've had many kids come and go, but Chase was one that my daughters accepted as a brother and that I thought of as the son I never had."

Early said Love's mother died of breast cancer when he was a senior in high school and that he entered the Marines shortly after graduation.

"He felt that as the man of the house, it was an opportunity for him to take care of his [two] sisters," Early said. "He loved it. He knew he was going to make a career of it."

Love lived with his wife and two stepchildren in North Carolina, where he recently bought a home, Early said. He had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, and his Facebook page says that he was a radio operator.

Early did not know why he was in Baltimore. Through tears, she laughed at the memory of a picture of Love in Iraq with lollipops spilling from his pocket.

"That was Chase," she said. "Always a jokester, such a joy to have around."

Guglielmi said Queen's Hookah, in the 200 block of E. Baltimore St., has no history of violent incidents.

The lounge, located in the space formerly occupied by the hookah bar El Basha, opened within the past several weeks, neighboring business owners said. The door was locked and the storefront dark on Friday afternoon.

"I was shocked this morning," said Paul Kuppalli, who owns the greeting card shop next door. "I've been here for 24 years, and I've never seen anything like this. Sure, it worries me to have a killing next door."

Queen's Hookah sits two blocks west of The Block in a stretch of convenience stores, check-cashing windows and financial buildings. Save for a few robberies, the area is usually devoid of trouble, Kuppalli said.

The city has experienced several violent weekends recently, and a shooting at the Inner Harbor last weekend prompted Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III to outline a strategy for preventing trouble during the Fourth of July weekend.

Bealefeld said 300 police officers will patrol the harbor and downtown area during Sunday's fireworks, an increase from last year that had been planned before the shooting. State police and other agencies, such as the Maryland Transportation Authority, will assist.

Several active and former servicemen have been the victims of killings in the Baltimore area in recent months.

In June, unarmed former Marine Tyrone Brown was shot by Gahiji H. Tshamba, an off-duty Baltimore police officer, outside a Mount Vernon bar. Tshamba has been charged with first-degree murder.

In January, Pfc. Darius Ray of Potomac was stabbed after an altercation at a late-night house party in Northeast Baltimore. Three men were charged with first-degree murder.

In December, Clifford Jamar Williams, an Army private on leave from Afghanistan, was shot while driving home from a city grocery with his wife.

In November, former Marine Grayson Edward Kenney Jr. was found in his neighbor's driveway in western Baltimore County, dead of gunshot wounds.

www.baltimoresun.com

Missing WWII Airman From Virginia Identified

WASHINGTON (WAVY) - The Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced Friday that the remains of seven Army airmen, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

Pfc. Richard M. Dawson, of Haynesville, Va., along with Capt. Joseph M. Olbinski, of Chicago; 1st Lt. Joseph J. Auld, of Floral Park, N.Y.; 1st Lt. Robert M. Anderson, of Millen, Ga.; Tech. Sgt. Clarence E. Frantz, of Tyrone, Penn.; Pvt. Robert L. Crane, of Sacramento, Calif.; and Pvt. Fred G. Fagan, of Piedmont, Ala., were identified and all are to be interred July 15 in Arlington National Cemetery.

According to the military, on May 23, 1944, the men were aboard a C-47A Skytrain that departed Dinjan, India, on an airdrop mission to resupply Allied forces near Myitkyina, Burma. When the crew failed to return, air and ground searches were initiated, but found no evidence of the aircraft along the intended flight path.

In late 2002, a missionary provided U.S. officials a data plate from a C-47 crash site approximately 31 miles northwest of Myitkyina. In 2003, a Burmese citizen turned over human remains and identification tags for three of the crew members.

A Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) team excavated the crash site in 2003 and 2004, recovering additional remains and crew-related equipment—including an identification tag for Dawson.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA – which matched that of some of the crewmembers' families – as well as dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

www.wavy.com

Don't Miss This Today At the Delmarva Discovery Center

Cooking Demonstration:

Saturday, July 3 at 11:00am

Katie Barney Moose, born in Baltimore, has lived in many of the US great culinary, architectural, historical, and waterside gems. She will be at the Discovery Center to demonstrate some of her exciting Chesapeake Bay recipes.

Her repertoire of cookbooks include, “Chesapeake’s Bounty,” “Nantucket’s Bounty,” and “God’s Bounty: 365 days of Inspirational Cooking.”

Open to all paid visitors and members of the Delmarva Discovery Center.

The Delmarva Discovery Center This Weekend !!

Special savings exclusively for

Worcester, Somerset, Wicomico, Accomack, & Sussex

county residents…

Visit the Delmarva Discovery Center on

and receive a discounted rate!

50% off all admissions & one Child FREE with each paid adult

Total admission for a family of 4 – only $10!

Friday, July 2, 2010

Crisfield Election Investigated

CRISFIELD -- The U.S. Justice Department is expected to begin its own investigation into the recent Crisfield election following allegations that improper and illegal voting procedures may have been used.

The ACLU of Maryland has started its own probe into the matter, and a representative met with as many as 20 concerned residents last week in Crisfield, said Deborah Jeon, an attorney for the civil rights group.

Jeon said city elections officials turned away a number of potential voters without giving them provisional ballots.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that provisional ballots were given to people whose names could not be immediately verified as being registered voters, she said.

Jeon said, at this point, she is unsure of the number of people who were turned away.

"We're still in the process of investigating," she said.

Within days of the June 16 election, the American Civil Liberties Union detailed a number of alleged irregularities, including unlawful voter identification requirements and the failure to offer rejected voters a provisional ballot, which the group said appeared to have disproportionately affected African-American voters.

The ACLU said it was acting on behalf of mayoral candidate James Lane and several African-American voters.

Lane, who lost the election to incumbent Percy Purnell, said he knows people who were turned away or who witnessed improprieties.

"We feel very strongly there are some very serious problems," he said.

Robin Cockey, the city's attorney, said he was unaware the Justice Department planned to launch an investigation.

"That's interesting and surprising," he said. "I didn't know the ACLU thought this was still a viable issue."

Cockey said he is still in the process of conducting his own investigation, but believes the ACLU's allegations are unfounded.

When city elections officials could not find names on their lists, they called the county election office in Princess Anne for verification. Those who were registered were allowed to vote, but those who were unregistered were turned away, he said.

After the county office closed, city poll workers gave out provisional ballots to people whose names were not on the list.

"The bottom line is, anyone who was registered to vote and who wanted to vote was able to vote," he said.

This week, city elections officials verified and opened the remaining 17 provisional ballots filed during the election.

While all 17 were verified to be registered voters, one ballot was left blank, said Joyce Morgan, the city's clerk-treasurer, who was present along with election board members when the ballots were opened Wednesday.

Candidates in the election were notified that the ballots would be opened Wednesday, but none showed up, Morgan said.

With the opening of the provisional ballots, all of the candidates, except one, picked up additional votes.

In the mayor's race, incumbent Percy Purnell received 5 votes and challenger James Lane, 11.

Votes cast for City Council were Raymond Anderson, 5; Barry Dize, 4; Robert Hooks, 2; Jordan Joyner, 4; Kim Lawson, 5; Carolyn Marquis, 4; Greg Sterling, 3; and Pamela Whittington, 10.

Three incumbent City Council members --Raymond Anderson, Barry Dize and Kim Lawson, who were elected with Purnell in 2006 as part of the Clean Sweep Team --were the winners for their at-large seats.

Purnell, Anderson, Dize and Lawson are scheduled to be sworn-in for their second terms July 12.

www.delmarvanow.com

Chincoteague Fireman's Carnival Opens For Its 85th Year

The Chincoteague Fireman's Carnival opened this evening with opening ceremonies held at 7 p.m. on the carnival grounds.

The carnival will be open Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week. Saturday night there will be fireworks in celebration of our nation's birthday. Since July the Fourth falls on a Sunday, the fireworks will go off at 10 p.m. in front of the carnival grounds.

There will be no parking at the carnival grounds on July 3, Saturday. The island's Pony Express will be available for free starting at 5 p.m. The Pony Express will shuttle visitors to the carnival grounds from Chincoteague High School and from stops on Main Street, south of Church Street.

The shuttle service from the high school will start at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. The shuttles will be available after the fireworks to get visitos back to the high school and stops along Main Street.

The carnival will be open the first three days from 7 to 11 p.m.

Open dates for this year's carnival are July 1-3, July 9-10, July 16-17, July 23-24 and July 26-31. The carnival will also be open Aug. 6-7,

This year's world famous Pony Swim will take place July 28 and the Pony Auction will be held July 29.

This is the 85th annual Chincoteague Volunteer Fireman's Carnival and everyone is invited to enjoy the food, fun, rides and games.

www.easternshorenews.com

Reminder~ MarVa Theater This Week End

"A WHALE" Skimmer To Begin Testing In the Gulf

GULF OF MEXICO (WAVY) - A spokesman for the TMT Offshore Group released a statement Thursday regarding, A Whale--the ship billed as the largest skimmer vessel in the world.

The 'A Whale', originally an ore and oil carrier, was converted into an oil skimming vessel just last month. It passed through Norfolk last week en route to the Gulf.

The statement from TMT spokesman Bob Grantham is below:

"The A Whale will shortly sail to a designated site to begin a test protocol near the spill location.

"As it has been since the beginning of this project, TMT Offshore Group is committed to aggressive action to combat and contain the oil spill. We have had constructive dialogue with the Coast Guard and BP.

"We look forward to working in close cooperation with all parties to establish an effective global response capability for oil spills."

www.wavy.com

Ty Pennington And Design Team Coming To Baltimore

ABC'S "Makeover" Show To Be In Baltimore Next Week

For the second time in less than three years, ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" reality TV show is coming to Maryland to build a dream home for a family.

Host Ty Pennington and his team of celebrity designers will arrive in the Baltimore metro area next week to begin the whirlwind construction-design project that provides families with a brand-new home equipped with all the bells and whistles.

The show considered five families from the Baltimore region before deciding on the winners, who will be disclosed July 9, according to Shane Swisher, spokesperson for Excel Homes, a Camp Hill, Pa.-based custom modular manufacturer, which will be leading construction of the project.

A pep rally has been planned for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday at Grace Fellowship Church, 9505 Deereco Road in Timonium, to help identify volunteers and donations.

"The more the merrier," Swisher said about the effort, which usually involves hundreds of volunteers and thousands of supporters.

The project is looking for those with skills ranging from graphic design to sewing to drywalling. Volunteers skilled in excavating, painting, framing and roofing are also needed, along with donations of construction materials and furnishings.

Although the details of the Maryland home will not be revealed until the show airs, past seasons have included such features as a practice football field in the backyard of one family's home, and a barn-themed room anchored by furniture made of bales of imitation hay for a horse-loving member of another.

The project is expected to take a week to complete, according to Swisher, and will air sometime in September when the popular feel-good show enters its eighth season.

"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" last visited Maryland in October 2007 when a Port Deposit woman and her two children received a new home in Cecil County. That show aired in January 2008.

For more information, go to excelhomes.com/baltimoreextreme.

www.baltimoresun.com

Thursday, July 1, 2010

WAL*MART Schedules Store Opening In Onley

The newly built Onley Wal-Mart will open its new Supercenter on Wednesday, July 21st according to officials. Further announcements regarding the opening will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

The 155,000 sq. ft. building is set to employ 300 workers, with over 1,500 applying. The employees have been training for their new positions over the past couple of weeks.

The stores construction began in October, but due to the wet winter and spring the construction had several set backs according to Weis Builders foreman Vernon Gibson.

The Onley Supercenter is the 78th in Virginia.

www.shoredailynews.com

Child Drowns In Fish Pond In Northampton County

CHERITON — A 2-year-old boy drowned in a fish pond in the front yard of his home Tuesday.

Lorenzo Jermelle Stith Jr. was found unresponsive in the pond and was transported to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, which responded to the scene.

Preliminaryreports indicate the toddler was a drowning victim. The incident is still under investigation.

Stith was the son of Tracy Freeman of Columbia, Md. and Lorenzo J. Freeman of Cheriton.

The child’s body was taken to John O. Morris Funeral Home in Nassawadox. Funeral arrangements were pending at press time Thursday.

Northampton Sheriff Jack Robbins declined to release further details of the death.

www.delmarvanow.com

Celebrations Today Marking New Handgun Law In Virginia

Gun advocates across Virginia plan a series of celebrations today marking a new law that allows people with concealed-handgun permits to bring hidden firearms into restaurants that serve alcohol.

The Richmond-area celebration is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. at O'Charley's restaurant on Mayland Drive off Gaskins Road in western Henrico County, according to the Virginia Citizens Defense League, which expects more than 80 permit holders to attend.

Collectively, several hundred gun owners are expected to assemble at seven celebrations, including eateries in Charlottesville, Norfolk, Woodbridge, Reston, Vinton and Yorktown.

"It's a continued step in the right direction," said Philip Van Cleave, president of the 5,000- member Virginia Citizens Defense League. "We tried to throw off the bonds that have tied down gun owners unconstitutionally for years."

In addition to the concealed weapons, the grass-roots gun group will mark the occasion with sheet cakes proclaiming "Rights Restored: Ban Repealed."

People who legally carry firearms openly already may enter restaurants that serve alcohol and may drink. But until today, a holder of a concealed-handgun permit could not bring a concealed firearm into any restaurant that served alcohol.

Gov. Bob McDonnell, signed the law in April, making Virginia one of 28 states that allow concealed guns in bars.

The new law prohibits concealed-handgun carriers from consuming alcohol in a bar or restaurant. A restaurant owner may refuse service to gun carriers and prohibit them from entering with their weapons, concealed or not.

A concealed-gun carrier who violates the law by consuming alcohol can be charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Gun owners also can be charged with trespassing for bringing their weapons into establishments that post signs prohibiting them.

"Guns and alcohol don't mix under any circumstances," said Lori Haas, an advocate for the Virginia Center for Public Safety whose daughter, Emily, was wounded during the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007.

The restaurant industry is concerned about how the law will be enforced.

"We still do believe that while most gun owners are truly law-abiding and won't pose a problem, like everyone else, they are human beings," said Tom Lisk, a lobbyist who represents the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.

"We have no way to police it because the firearm is concealed, and we don't know if we're serving somebody who might be carrying concealed. So, it's going to be up to the gun owners to police themselves," Lisk said.

Also effective today, people who don't have concealed-weapons permits may stow their firearms in the glove compartment or a container in their vehicle.

The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control had not yet sent out a newsletter yesterday informing the 16,000 ABC licensees about the concealed-guns-in-bars law.

Philip Bogenberger, a spokesman for the department, said a violation of the law is not an ABC violation. The responsibility to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages rests with the permit holder, he said.

Several bar managers contacted said they were not aware of the new law.

Rachel Grove, a marketing director for The Tobacco Company restaurant in Richmond's Shockoe Slip, said the company has written a letter to the governor's office asking for an explanation of the law but has not heard back.

"We don't know what we can and cannot do," she said. "It's definitely a concern."

At Philip's Continental Lounge, a West End watering hole, manager Kyle Measell is not waiting for instructions.

"It's an idiot law," he said. "I believe in gun rights, but you don't need people to bring guns into bars." He added that Philip's is not allowing patrons with guns.

Poe's Pub at the eastern end of Shockoe Bottom is allowing patrons with concealed-weapons permits to bring in guns, owner Mike Britt said, though he doesn't think guns and alcohol are a good mixture.

Britt figures people have been carrying the guns illegally into his bar anyway, so he sees little impact from the law.

"Guns are everywhere," he added.

Restaurants hosting
celebrations
Here are the restaurants where the Virginia Citizens Defense League is celebrating the new concealed-carry law tonight. The events are open to the public.
> Henrico County -- O'Charley's, 9927 Mayland Drive
> Charlottesville -- Topeka's Steakhouse, 1791 Richmond Road
> Norfolk -- Mona Lisa Pizza, Pasta and Subs, 9583 Shore Drive
> Reston -- Champps Americana, 11694 Plaza America Drive
> Vinton -- Famous Anthony's, 323 E. Virginia Ave.
> Woodbridge -- Uncle Julio's Fine Mexican Food, 14900 Potomac Town Place, Suite 150
> Yorktown -- Country Grill, 1215-a George Washington Highway (U.S. 17)

www.timesdispatch.com

ONLEY, Va.- Virginia State Police say a 62-year-old Melfa woman is dead after she was run over by a car late Wednesday night in Accomack County.

Police say the accident occurred at around 11:38 p.m. on Route 13 southbound, approximately half a mile south of Route 716 in Onley.

According to investigators, a Ford Contour was traveling southbound on Route 13 in the left lane when the victim, Elma Beliva Betts, walked into the car's path and was struck.

Betts suffered major injuries and died at the scene.

Police say the driver of the Ford, Brennan L. Waldorf, suffered no injuries and was not charged in the accident.

www.wboc.com

Inspiring new video: Dog surfs with brain injured 6 yr old

This inspirational video is about surf dog Ricochet, the SURFice dog who has raised over $30,000 for charitable causes. The video is about the healing power of the ocean & the healing power of a dog. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-mSXIeVIuE

In this video, she's helping Ian, a six year old boy who suffered a brain injury in a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of his parents. Ian used to surf with his dad, but after the injury was somewhat scared to get back on a surfboard. This video shows how Ricochet turned his fear into excitement... and how he got back on a surfboard and surfed with her! She also raised over $7000 for his rehabilitation.

Feel free to post the video link/URL, or share with anyone you think would enjoy it.

For more information visit www.surfdogricochet.com, or join her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/SurfDogRicochet?ref=ts

Cyclist Hopes To Raise Disease Awareness

OCEAN CITY -- There are 1,480 miles between St. Louis, Mo., and Ocean City. Allen Baumgartner should know; the 33-year-old just traveled all of them on a handcycle.

Two months after setting out from his home in Arnold, Mo., Baumgartner came to the end of his journey on the Boardwalk at 14th Street, the final stop on his ride to raise awareness for spinocerebellar ataxia, a degenerative brain disease that affects movement.

"To see the U.S. from a foot off the ground is impressive," Baumgartner said, just before he climbed out of his three-wheeled cycle and walked, leaning on his two young daughters, down the beach to the Atlantic Ocean.

More than a year ago, Baumgartner, who has lost some of the use of his legs to spinocerebellar ataxia, decided he wanted to ride a wheelchair to Washington to raise awareness for the disease. According to the National Institutes of Health, spinocerebellar ataxia is a rare genetic neurological condition that affects the brain and spine, disrupting muscle control.

Baumgartner was diagnosed in 2008 after losing his ability to walk unassisted. Otherwise in good health, he soon got involved with the Disabled Athlete Sports Association, a St. Louis-based group that engages disabled children and adults with sports. The organization introduced Baumgartner to the handcycle -- an arm-powered, three-wheeled bike -- and provided support as he trained for his cross-country trip.

The $4,540 Baumgartner has raised during his journey will be donated to DASA.

Later, while at an area TV station for an interview, he met Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, who invited him to finish his journey in the resort.

Baumgartner met up with his wife and daughters near Rehoboth Beach before making the final ride down Route 1 -- what he called "a victory march" -- to Ocean City.

"I'm really excited it's done," said Andrea Baumgartner, his wife.

www.delmarvanow.com

The Passing of Del. Page Elmore

Pallbearers carry the casket from Bethesda United Methodist Church following the funeral service for Delegate D. Page Elmore, R-38A-Wicomico, on Wednesday. Elmore died Saturday after a battle against cancer.

SALISBURY -- Delegate Page Elmore was remembered by friends and colleagues as someone who was able to reach across party lines and who helped bring about important changes to two local universities.

But it was his devotion to his Eastern Shore constituents that was mentioned most by those who delivered eulogies at his funeral Wednesday.

"The more I got to know Page, the more I respected him," said Sen. J. Lowell Stoltzfus, R-38-Somerset, who also sang during the service at Bethesda United Methodist Church in Salisbury's Newtown neighborhood.

Stoltzfus said it was not unusual to find Elmore eating breakfast with watermen at 5 a.m. at Gordon's Confectionery in Crisfield.

"He never succumbed to self-importance," he said.

House Speaker Michael Busch, a Democrat from Anne Arundel County, called Elmore "a unique individual."

When Elmore introduced a bill to make the Smith Island cake the official state dessert during the 2008 session of the Maryland General Assembly, he left cake outside Busch's office every morning until the bill passed.

"For Page, it wasn't just about cake, it was about pride of the community," Busch said.

While Elmore brought a conservative philosophy to the Legislature, he also had the ability to reach across the aisle, Busch said.

"It is with great sadness that I am here today," he said.

In addition to Busch and Stoltzfus, other members of the House and Senate attended the service, including Delegate Anthony J. O'Donnell, minority leader of the House, from Southern Maryland.

Busch presented a proclamation from the House of Delegates to Elmore's family, and Delegate Adelaide C. Eckardt, R-37B, presented one from the Eastern Shore Delegation, of which Elmore was chairman.

Janet Dudley Eshbach, president of Salisbury University, and Thelma Thompson, president of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, also spoke during the funeral of Elmore's devotion to both campuses.

At UMES, Elmore helped get an undergraduate engineering program and a doctoral program in pharmacy.

"He fought hard for us," Thompson said.

More personal recollections of Elmore were delivered by longtime friend Jon Poulson and his brother-in-law, the Rev. Dr. Walter C. Jackson III.

In addition to a crowd of family, friends and government officials from Somerset and Wicomico counties who packed the church for Wednesday morning's funeral service, 500-600 people -- including Gov. Martin O'Malley -- paid their respects Tuesday at Holloway Funeral Home PA in Salisbury.

Elmore, 71, died Saturday following a battle with recurring cancer. He represented District 38A, an area covering Somerset and southern Wicomico counties.

www.delmarvanow.com

Do Dogs And Cats Really Dream?

How many pet owners have gotten a chuckle out of watching their dog sleep while its paws race frenetically in place?

Many figured that Rover was romping somewhere in dreamland, and scientists say they were right: Pets do dream while sleeping.

As dogs and cats doze, images of past events replay in their minds much the same way humans recall experiences while dreaming, said Matthew Wilson of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory in Cambridge, Mass. That's because the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved in memory, is basically wired the same way in virtually all vertebrates and mammals, he said.

"If you compared a hippocampus in a rat to a dog; in a cat to a human, they contain all of the same pieces," said Wilson, an associate professor of brain and cognitive sciences.

Like people, pets go through multiple stages of sleep, from periods of slow wave sleep to REM (rapid eye movement), where most dreaming occurs.

"From the minute your head hits the pillow and you're out, the dreaming process begins," he said.

Non-REM dreams consist of quick snapshots of things usually done that day. During the deeper sleep state of REM, dreams last much longer and tap into a vast pool of past experiences drawn from weeks, months, even years in the past.

REM occurs approximately every 90 minutes in people, and every 25 minutes in cats.

In dogs, research shows the frequency and length of dreams is linked to their physical size, said psychologist Stanley Coren, author of several books, including "How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind."

For example, he said, mastiffs and Great Danes might dream every 45 minutes for about five minutes, compared to their smaller canine cousins that enter a dream state every 10 minutes with episodes lasting less than 60 seconds.

Owners can tell if their dozing dog or feline is dreaming by looking for these clues: whisker twitching, paw tremors, irregular breathing and — in dogs — occasional high-pitched yips.

But what do our pets dream about? Researchers believe they know the answer. Older studies, done decades ago in cats, involved temporarily releasing the suppression of motor activity that happens during REM sleep so they'd act out their dreams.

What researchers witnessed is sleepwalking cats doing things they'd normally do while awake — walking, swatting their forepaws, even pouncing on imaginary prey.

Similar research showed the same held true for dogs.

"Pointers point at dream birds, and Dobermans growl at dream burglers," Coren said.

Those experiments were not a demonstration of actual dreaming, said MIT's Wilson, but do suggest that in REM sleep the brain is functioning the same way it behaves during normal wakefulness. As early as 2001, he decided to find out if animals did in fact dream by eavesdropping on the sleeping brain.

Wilson used electrodes to record the brain activity of rats as they ran a circular track and later as they slept. He discovered, by examining more than 40 REM episodes recorded while the rats slept, that the sleeping rodents often appeared to replay images of navigating the track in real time. About 50% of the episodes repeated the unique signature of brain activity created as the animal ran. In fact, because records of the neural signals in both the sleep and waking states were so similar, Wilson said he could reconstruct where the dreaming rats were on the track and whether they were standing still or running.

This human-like ability to dream about actual experiences almost certainly applies to pets, he said.

"My guess is — unless there is something special about rats and humans — that cats and dogs are doing exactly the same thing," he said.

In the scientific community, animals are often thought of as reflex machines, operating by instinct alone. But this view is slowly starting to change, noted Wilson, as new information about dreaming in animals is unearthed.

Coren, the psychologist, agreed. He said that one of his heroes, Charles Darwin, "basically claimed if you can prove that an animal dreams, then, in effect, you can prove that's consciousness. Because after all, what is a dream other than a conscious image?"

Wilson's current work goes beyond analyzing dream content and relates to what's going on inside the brain during wakefulness. Using lab-built devices with an array of electrodes, he's found that rats appear to replay memories while doing normal, everyday activities like nibbling on food or sitting quietly. In other words, he said, they're thinking about the past, and possibly contemplating the future.

"The idea that rats may actually be thinking — just as humans think when they're sitting, appearing not to be doing anything — suggests the full range of cognitive abilities that we have," he said.

Wilson believes his work extends beyond using animal models to explore human memory and cognition. "It really is using animal models to study animal cognition," he said. "Understanding the differences will give us a better understanding of where we stand in the hierarchy of organisms on the planet."

www.usa.com

4-H Camp Registration ~ Deadline July 2, 2010

Accomack County 4-H Junior Camp will be held July 19th through the 23rd at Airfield 4-H Center in Wakefield, VA. The cost is $248 which includes the camp fee, lodging, meals, transportation via charter bus to and from camp and a camp t-shirt.

Children ages 9-13 may attend. Campers must be 9 years old by September 30th. Campers will have the opportunity to participate in classes such as swimming, canoeing, leather craft, riflery, theatrical arts, journalism, archery, fishing, robotics, cooking, animal science and new this year CSI detective.

Registration forms are available at the Accomack County Extension Office located at 23203 Front Street, Accomac between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday or you may call 787-1361 to have one mailed to you.

The last day to register for camp is Friday, July 2nd. Full payment of $248 is due upon registration.

www.shoredailynews.com

Chincoteague Island Makes America's Best Beach Towns

As the summer season starts, finding the perfect beach for sunbathing and splashing in the surf becomes a national pastime, even obsession. But what happens off the sand is just as important. While we all hope that the sun will shine every day of our vacation, it's good to know there are options if the skies open up. These ten towns are classic Americana and are packed with museums, shops, and other rainy-day diversions, plus lots of fun festivals and outdoor activities if you want to do something more active then turning the pages of the latest chick-lit release (did someone say mini-golf?). So come along and tour America's best beach towns from the California Coast to the tip of Cape Cod. Just remember to pack the sunscreen.

10. Huntington Beach, California

9. Kennebunkport, Maine

8. Traverse City, Michigan

7. Cape May, New Jersey

6. Boca Grande, Florida

5. Cannon Beach, Oregon

4. Pismo Beach, California

3. Provincetown, Massachusetts

2. Rockport, Texas

1. Chincoteague Island, Virginia

This tranquil landfall off Virginia's coast is famed for the feral Chincoteague ponies that roam nearby Assateague Island. Every July since 1925, the Pony Penning and auction floods the town with tourists there to watch the ponies gallop down Main Street. This area is a nature-lover's nirvana all year round, though, with Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and the

Assateague Island National Seashore, home to herons, bald eagles, and woodpeckers. If the weather is keeping you from visiting the birds' natural habitat, the Refuge Waterfowl Museum exhibits extensive wildlife murals, skipjack boat models, and wildfowl woodcarvings by renowned decoy crafters like carver-in-residence Delbert "Cigar" Daisy. Victorian inns and ice cream parlors, clam shacks serving Chincoteague oysters, and beachfront BBQs complete the Norman Rockwell picture.

Tip: Watch rocket launches at the NASA Visitor Center at the Wallops Flight Facility where Science on a Sphere Theatre projects 3-D effects on a suspended six-foot-diameter globe, depicting the moon, Jupiter storms, and Earth as seen by astronauts.

www.aol.com

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Friday, July 2, 2010

Thursday, July 1, 2010

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