Pentagon entrances were locked down early Tuesday after a report of possible shots fired near the building.Maj. Chris Perrine, a Pentagon spokesman, says a civilian reported he may have heard shots at about 5 a.m. EDT on the south side of the massive Defense Department headquarters.
Perrine says police authorities did a sweep of the area and didn't find anything.
The roads and pedestrian entrances leading to the Pentagon were reopened a little after 5:30.
Here's a video of his run that tied him for second place with Ken Daisey, driver of 'Ole Blue'.
I don't have a video of Ken Daisey and his 4.311 second run but I do have a photo to show just exactly WHERE 'Ole Blue' and his driver ended up..............
They ended up in the bean field! 
WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors have brought two new charges against a northern Virginia man accused of offering himself as a fighter to a Somali terror group, and have charged his wife with making a false statement in connection with the case.Zachary A. Chesser, who was arrested this summer and allegedly told FBI agents he had twice tried to travel to Somalia to join a terror group, was charged Monday in federal court in Virginia with one count of communicating threats and another count of soliciting crimes of violence, both related to his previous case. The new charges carry a total of 15 years in prison.
Chesser, 20, was charged in July with material support to terrorists, which carries a potential 15-year sentence. Chesser acknowledged to FBI agents that he wanted to travel to Somalia to join the al-Qaida-linked terrorist group al-Shabab, according to an FBI affidavit filed this summer.
Before Chesser's arrest this summer, he was best known for posting harshly worded online warnings to the creators of the animated TV show "South Park" that they risked death for mocking the prophet Muhammad.
Chesser's wife, Proscovia Kampire Nzabanita, was also charged Monday with one count of making a false statement, which carries a possible prison sentence of up to eight years. Her charge is related to her husband's case, but it was not clear how.
Chesser and Nzabanita, who is from Uganda, have an infant son whom Chesser tried to take with him on a flight from New York to Uganda this summer in order to appear less suspicious, the affidavit said. Chesser was denied entry to the flight and told he was on the no-fly list. He and his wife had previously tried to go to Somalia by way of Kenya, but that attempt also failed.
After his latest attempt to leave the country, Chesser apparently tried convincing FBI agents he had renounced his extremist views and said he would work for the FBI if the government helped him travel to Africa, according to the affidavit. Instead of accepting Chesser's offer, FBI agents arrested him.
Chesser has not yet been indicted in the case and the timeline for doing so has been extended twice. Lawyers often seek an extension of the indictment deadline to work out details of a plea bargain
An attorney for Chesser, Michael Nachmanoff, said in an e-mail that he could not comment further on the case. An attorney for Nzabanita, David Smith, did not immediately respond to e-mailed requests for comment.
Legislative Chairman of the Woman's Club of Accomack County.
A spectacular stream of meteors believed to be leftovers from Halley's Comet is expected to streak across the skies this week, but a full harvest moon will compete for attention and may obstruct some of the show.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that 10 popular Facebook applications have been transmitting users' personal identifying information to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies.
POCOMOKE CITY -- Two men whose backgrounds share military service but little else are contending to represent District 1, Worcester's southernmost region, as a Worcester County Commissioner.Merrill Lockfaw Jr., a Republican, won his primary against three other contenders, while Jimmy Schoolfield, a Democrat, advanced to the general election unopposed.
The seat represents Pocomoke City and surrounding areas. It is currently held by Bobby Cowger, who did not seek re-election.
Lockfaw and Schoolfield have served in the armed forces. Lockfaw spent four years in the Air Force, while Schoolfield spent six years in the Army.
Lockfaw worked for Worcester County government as a road superintendent for 19 years, retiring in June.
"I thought with my business experience as well as working with large budgets and county government would make me a good candidate," Lockfaw said.
Schoolfield has been a minister at Georgetown Baptist Church in Pocomoke for 14 years, in addition to being vice president of the NAACP for Worcester County. He resigned his NAACP role when he decided to run for the County Commissioners seat.
His life path wasn't a smooth one. In the early 1990s, between the ages of 29 and 32, Schoolfield was charged with 12 separate crimes in Maryland courts, including assault, theft and malicious destruction of property.
"A lot of those extended from when I was out in the world drinking," Schoolfield said. "I watched what alcohol and drugs did to me, and that has given me a lot of things I can talk with youth about. I can say from experience there are other things we can do besides hanging on the street and drink."
He has not been charged with a crime since 1995, although he has three active cases in the civil court system, including one in which his wages were ordered to be garnished by $13,622. Schoolfield said he and his wife took out a loan to start a fashion store shortly before she had to undergo heart surgery. As a result, they closed the store and incurred the debt.
If elected, Lockfaw said he wants to be able to provide citizens with the services they need, such as police officers and firefighters.
"While protecting ourselves, we can't overregulate ourselves to the point it would drive businesses away," Lockfaw said.
Schoolfield said he wants to focus on ways to improve the housing situation, build the community and reach out to youth.
"I want to be a force for the lower district," Schoolfield said. "I would like to work with the youth and on education issues. Crime is also an important issue, especially in downtown Pocomoke."
When asked about legislation requiring all homes built after Jan. 1 to contain residential sprinkler systems, both men said they would like to tweak the law as it would apply to Worcester.
Lockfaw said he opposes mandating sprinklers, while Schoolfield would be satisfied with an amendment restricting the requirement to homes on a municipal water supply.
Saturday morning at 7:40 an empty trailer became uncoupled from it's tractor and fell into the Chesapeake Bay. The accident occured at mile post 12 on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
An off-duty Baltimore police detective, taking part in the Canton nightlife on the eve of his birthday Saturday, was killed after being struck in the head after an argument over a parking spot, police said. He would have turned 38 today.Brian Stevenson, an 18-year veteran and married father of three, was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center not long after he was attacked in the 2800 block of Hudson St. at about 10 p.m.
Acting on information from witnesses, police arrested 25-year-old Sian James later Saturday night at a downtown club. On Sunday afternoon, he was charged with first-degree murder.
Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III told reporters outside the hospital that the argument was "incredibly petty."
"It's an incredible tragedy for the family, for all of us," said Bealefeld, who spoke with Stevenson's family members along with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. "The city's losing … we're losing a fantastic detective who works to make people safe in this city. It's just senseless."
Stevenson grew up in the city and went on to investigate shootings and robberies in the Northeast District. He went to have dinner with a longtime friend near Canton Square when an argument broke out in the parking lot of an eye care clinic. Residents say the neighborhood is typically jam-packed, with some area bars offering valet service and drivers jockeying for precious parking spots.
Police sat James picked up an object — a rock or piece of concrete — and hurled it at Stevenson, striking him in the right temple and causing him to fall to the ground.
Stevenson lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
James went on to a club in the Power Plant area, where officers found and detained him, police said.
Stevenson is the first city officer to be killed in an attack since January 9, 2007, when Officer Troy Lamont Chesley Sr. was fatally shot during a robbery while he was off-duty in Northwest Baltimore. Last month, Officer James Fowler died after losing control of his vehicle while driving to a training program in Pennsylvania.
Friends recalled Stevenson as a jovial man who was one of the department's snappiest and unique dressers, pairing wild colors and patterns. Detective Thomas Jackson, a homicide investigator who worked with Stevenson in the Northeast District investigating shootings and robberies, said Stevenson was called "Smiley" because of his consistently upbeat mood.
As a detective, Jackson said, Stevenson was able to relate to those he interacted with in the streets. He grew up in the city and graduated from Dunbar High School, Jackson said.
"He loved doing his job, and he made sure his family was provided for," said Detective Sandra Forsythe, who continued to bring baked goods to her former partner after she moved on to the homicide unit this year.
Stevenson was featured in a 1994 Baltimore Afro-American article about the first class of officers to graduate under the then-new police commissioner, Thomas Frazier. His mother beamed with pride when discussing her son.
"I think that it is wonderful because he's doing something for society," Sheila Dorsey told the Afro. "He has always been the type of person who would help other people in any way that he could. I know that he will be a good police officer, because he has the Lord on his side."
At the scene, neighbor Tricia Zebron said that the neighborhood is typically chaotic on weekends. She said parking spots are hard to come by - her car was parked in the same lot where Stevenson was struck, though there are "private parking" signs posted that warn that driver's will be towed.
"It's a circus every weekend here," she said.
The suspect, James, lived around the corner in the 2800 block of Dillon St.. Court records show he was charged in July with attempted rape, third-degree sex offense, assault and false imprisonment. Initially held without bond, he was released in mid-September on $150,000 bond. Details of that case were not immediately available.
Records also show that in late July James was ordered to stay away from a woman who had filed her second protective order against him in a span of four months. Reached for comment, a man who answered the woman's phone said that they could not discuss James because of an "ongoing situation."
Outside the emergency room entrance at Hopkins Bayview on Saturday night and into Sunday morning, dozens of officers in uniform or street clothes stood solemnly. Some were retired officers. There was little discussion. Deep into the morning, relatives of Stevenson continued to arrive.
As one group of officers walked to their cars to head home, they each shook hands.
"Be safe," they said to each other.
Jackson, who investigates city homicides, many over petty disputes and slights, said Stevenson's death was one of the most senseless he could think of.
"All of them are terrible, but a parking spot?" Jackson said.
The driver of a limo parked outside the nearby Clutch sports lounge said he didn't see or hear the commotion from the attack, but he noted that he was an off-duty Prince George's County police officer. "It hurts," he said of news that a fellow law enforcement officer had been killed.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR DAD TODAY ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HIS 86th BIRTHDAY!
Our Dad.... one of the wisest, humorous, dedicated, personable person that ever lived. We all continue to love and miss you and still use your good advise.
Thankyou for always (and still) being there for all of us.
POCOMOKE CITY -- The final step in the installation of Delmarva Discovery Center's 6,000-gallon freshwater aquarium is just days away.A dedication ceremony for the aquarium is scheduled for Oct. 21 from 6-8 p.m. and will call attention to a $250,000 grant from the Fulton Owen Foundation, which made the purchase and operation of the tank possible.
Staff and volunteers are ready to show off the exhibit to the public, after working to install the tank and prep and introduce the fish to their new habitat.
"(The tank) is a great opportunity to highlight the ecology of the Pocomoke River and the unique fish that live in it," says Executive Director Brian Garrett. "We just want to recognize their generous donation and acknowledge the positive impact it's having on the discovery center."
The ceremony will include a speech by Garrett, in addition to a presentation of the tank, acknowledgment of the donors, a short speech by representatives of the Snow Hill-based Fulton Owen Foundation and a casual reception.
The tank is designed to look similar to the underwater world of the Pocomoke River and has been stocked with native fish, including Atlantic sturgeon, largemouth bass, channel catfish and bluegills.
Garrett expects the tank to increase learning opportunities for area residents as well as the attractiveness of Pocomoke City as a regional tourist destination.
"For this summer, between June 1 and the end of August, we had 3,600 general admissions," said Garrett. "We are on pace to put between 7,500 and 8,000 through the center this year."
After the ceremony has ended, staff at the Discovery Center are expected to get to work on their next big project. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore recently donated a 1,500 gallon tank for a Chesapeake Bay ecological exhibit.
Garrett says before moving forward on that, the Discovery Center needs to secure additional funding, to ensure once the tank is installed there will be enough money to keep it operational and allow for the care of marine life.
SEVERNA PARK, Md. - Is there life after death? For one local woman, there most definitely is.A neighbor says 89-year-old Ruth Johnson had not been seen for days when Anne Arundel County police went to her home in Severna Park, on Oct. 1.
A police report says officers found Johnson motionless on a bathroom floor. Her skin was blue and she wasn't breathing. Because she appeared to be dead, according to the report, police did not check her pulse.
Police told Johnson's family she had passed away. They also notified her doctor, and the Chief Medical Examiner's office in Baltimore.
Three hours later, a man with the State Anatomy Board came to pick up the body, which Johnson had agreed to donate to science. It was then that Johnson was seen moving her arm, and taking breaths.
The Annapolis Capitol reports she was rushed to a hospital and has since been discharged.
A police spokesman says the case is under administrative review to make sure the officers involved followed proper procedures.
High winds caused a trailer to come loose from a tractor and fall over the side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Saturday morning at the 12 mile mark, according to tunnel police.Chief Edward Spencer said the trailer was empty and no one was injured.
Traffic was stopped at about 7:45 a.m., but there is no back up now.
As of mid-day, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has issued a Level 2 advisory for winds of about 47 mph.
Rome’s Colosseum has opened the underground pits where gladiators and wild beasts waited before being winched from darkness into the light of the killing ground, the Italian news agency ANSA reported Friday.At the same time, the famed monument is also reopening its third story, closed since the 1970s, which offers a breathtaking view of Rome.
The two new attractions aim to boost visitor numbers at the site, which is already Italy's single most visited monument at some 19,000 people a day.
Crowds were already flocking to get up to the 33 meter (108 feet) third ring to enjoy its spectacular views Friday, while fans of ancient bloodletting will have to wait until Tuesday when groups of 25, strictly by reservation, will take the first steps by members of the public into the underground pits.
According to Colosseum site director Rossella Rea, the gladiatorial areas are all the more fascinating because "they were completely buried in the 5th century AD and have been perfectly conserved."
"They never suffered the depredation which the surface parts of the monument were victims to," ANSA quoted her as saying.
The so-called 'hypogeum' (literally, 'underground') has been restored in a project that has also installed new, muted lighting.
Rea said the aim was to recapture "some of the atmosphere" of the breathless moments before the games commenced, when the armored or naked fighters and the wild animals were hauled up through 80 trapdoors.
The visit starts from the Porta Libitinaria, named after the goddess of the dead Libitina, through which the gladiators marched in and from which their corpses were taken out, ANSA said.
Construction on the city's iconic monument started between 70 and 72 AD under the Emperor Vespasian.
It was completed in 80 AD by his son Titus. Titus inaugurated it with 100 days of games including the recreation of a sea battle between Romans and Greeks.
RICHMOND, VA. — The deadline is approaching for Virginians planning to vote by absentee ballot. The State Board of Elections says the deadline to apply to vote by absentee ballot for the Nov. 2 election is Oct. 26 by mail. Virginians looking to vote by absentee ballot in person can apply and vote by Oct. 30.
There are more than 18 different ways to qualify to vote by absentee ballot. That information and an application are available on the State Board of Elections website.
Officials are encouraging qualified voters to consider voting by absentee ballot to make sure they are able to take part in the election.
The board says there are currently more than five million voters registered in Virginia.
Online: www.sbe.virginia.gov
An Accomack County employee returned from apersonal holiday to Las Vegas without a computer that belongs to the county. Files in that laptop contain vital information, including the Social Security numbers of local personal-property owners.Accomack County believes that the stolen computer contained a file or files
from which taxpayer identity might be extracted.
Any citizen who is concerned about the security of their identity may request a fraud alert on their credit report by calling 888-766-0008, 888-397-3742 or 800-680-7289.
Citizens who may be affected will receive a more specific written notice from AccomackCounty. This is Accomack County’s entire comment on this matter pending advance of the ongoing criminal investigation and the internal personnel issue involved.” Board Chairwoman Laura Belle Gordy called for Wednesday’s meeting Eastern Shore Post that afternoon.
The announcement stated that the meeting would be closed and would only be used to discuss personnel. The session started at 5 p.m. and began with the usual prayer and
Pledge of Allegiance. Before a motion was made, Gordy said, “I know we can go into closed session for personnel, but that’s not the real reason.” The attorney suggested
that they also meet under another section of law that allows the group to speak privately with him.
County Administrator Steve Miner defined taxpayer identity as name, Social Security number, perhaps address and the personal property owned. He said real-estate holdings are not in question.
Josh Taylor did not attend the session. Miner, Mason, County Treasurer Dana Bundick, Commissioner of the Revenue Leslie Savage and another IT worker attended the private session.
Asked about the IT Department, Miner said there is only one person “who reports back to me” and others who work in IT are under other departments. He said he is unsure if the
employee in question regularly takes the laptop home. “I’m not sure but suspect the answer is no,” Miner said.
"I don’t provide anyone with Social Security numbers,” Savage explained Thursday. “Josh Taylor has been part of the project team” working on software that provides the county with the capability of twice-a-year billing.
Las Vegas Police Officer Marcus Martin said Josh Taylor reported the incident on Oct. 8. Taylor was staying at the Mandalay Bay, an upscale hotel and casino. Upon awakening that morning
he found that clothing was thrown on the floor and the laptop and a red backpack were gone, Martin said.
An investigation of the electronic entry to the room showed that between 10:53 a.m. and 12:35 p.m. on Oct 7 and from 8:14 p.m. Oct 7 and 9:21 a.m. Oct 8, the door to Room 16122, where he
was staying was “not properly latched.” Martin said it is unclear why. Taylor was out of the room between 8 p.m. Oct 7 and 2 a.m. Oct 8 and hadn’t noticed anything missing or in disarray
upon return. Martin added that the case just landed on a detective’s desk and he had not had time to check a video of the hallways.
“It appears the suspect also drank (the contents of) two mini liquor bottles” while in the room, the officer said.
So, because Mr. Taylor was whooping it up in Las Vegas Accomack taxpayers have endure the risk that private information has been obtained by those other than Accomack County workers. Shame on you, Mr. Taylor, for being so inconsiderate! Keeping hours like those it"s quite apparent that you did not intend on doing any "work" while vacationing.
The county is in bad enough shape without having this happen. Besides, when hard working Accomack County taxpayers pay their taxes we assume our private information is just that. PRIVATE!! Lock those computers to the desks!
REVOKED LICENSE. David Alan Widdowson, 48, of Pocomoke City was issued a citation for driving on a revoked and suspended license on Oct. 5 by Somerset deputies. Deputies rersponded to the area of Whitehaven Ferry road regarding a car in the ditch, and found Widdowson to be the driver. Widowson was released after signing citations.FAILURE TO APPEAR. Richard Nathaniel Armstrong, 42, of Salisbury was taken into police custody on Oct. 5 by Somerset deputies on a warrant for failure to appear in court. Armstrong was later held on a $500.00 bond.
FAILURE TO APPEAR. Ernest Wells, 40, of Princess Anne was taken into police custody on Oct. 6 by Somerset deputies on a warrant for failure to appear in court. Wells was held on a $500.00 bond.
DRUGS. Robert William Handy, 48, of Crisfield was taken into police custody on a Circuit Court indictment for drug possession - not marijuana and narcotics possession with intent to distribute on Oct. 11 by Somerset deputies. Handy was later held on a $75,000 bond.
DRUGS. Clifton Ricardo Fields, 34, of Crisfield was taken into custody on a Circuit Court indictment for drug possession - not marijuana and narcotics possession with intent to distribute on Oct. 11 by Somerset deputies. Fields was later held on a $75,000 bond.
FAILURE TO APPEAR. Quinton Jerome Bailey, 27, of Princess Anne was taken into police custody on Oct. 12 by Somerset deputies on a warrant for failure to appear in court. Bailey was later released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
PROBATION VIOLATION. Gregory Davis Sterling Jr., 28, was taken into custody by Somerset deputies on Oct. 12 on a bench warrant for violation of probation. Sterling was later held without bond.
FAILURE TO APPEAR. Kenneth Martin Stachowski Jr., 45, of Princess Anne was taken into police custody on Oct. 13 by Somerset deputies on a warrant for failure to appear in court. Stachowski was later released after posting a $500.00 bond.
SUSPENDED LICENSE. Larry Kefford Linton, 40, of Pocomoke City was issued a citation for driving on a suspended out of state drivers license on Oct. 13 by Somerset deputies. Linton was later released after signing citations pending trial.
SUSPENDED LICENSE. Stacey Paulette Holden of Withams Virginia was issued a citation for driving on a suspended out of state license on Oct. 13 by Somerset deputies. Holden was later released after signing citations pending trial.
SUSPENDED REGISTRATION. Elizabeth Anne Cullen, 31, of Marion was issued a citation for driving on a suspended registration on Oct. 13 by Somerset deputies. The Maryland Motor Vehicle placed a police pick up order on the tags for insurance violations. Cullen was later released after signing citations pending trial.
SNOW HILL -- A man charged with murdering his mother by hitting her with a van on a rural Worcester road has pleaded not guilty, and is set to have a jury trial on Jan. 4.Steven Molin, a 58-year-old man from Darby, Pa., was charged after allegedly running over his 85-year-old mother, Emily Belle Molin, with a large work van on Carey Road on Aug. 31.
Police were alerted to the crime when Molin called 911 around midnight to report a serious motor vehicle accident, according to officers from the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation.
Molin later told police he and his mother were riding in his vehicle, which he was driving, when his mother fell out. He told police once he realized she had fallen, he stopped and drove in reverse.
Accident reconstruction specialists looking at the scene were able to tell the elderly woman had been driven over two to three times, police said.
Based on his interview with police and the forensic evidence from the scene, Molin was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and manslaughter. He is being held without bond in Worcester County Jail.
Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd said he is not seeking the death penalty for Molin if he is convicted. Under Maryland law, to press for a sentence of death there must be "aggravating circumstances," such as a robbery or rape, which are not present in this case, Todd said.
Burton Anderson, assistant public defender for Worcester County, is representing Molin. "Because the case is pending before the court, it would be inappropriate for me to make any comment," Anderson said.
Court records show the Public Defender's Office has filed several motions to prepare Molin's defense, including one seeking a transcript of the 911 call made by Molin, as well as copies of all police photographs taken at the scene.
The Public Defender's Office has also filed routine motions to receive pre-trial documents and evidence, including the name and address of each person the state intends to call as a witness, and the criminal history of anyone the state intends to call as a witness or who has been viewed as a suspect.
CVS Pharmacy, the largest retail drug store chain in the nation, agreed to pay $77.6 million in fines for unlawfully selling pseudoephedrine to criminals who made methamphetamine, the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles announced today.
"This case shows what happens when companies fail to follow their ethical and legal responsibilities," U.S. Attorney Andre Birotte Jr. said in a statement. "CVS knew it had a duty to prevent methamphetamine trafficking, but it failed to take steps to control the sale of a regulated drug used by methamphetamine cooks as an essential ingredient for their poisonous stew."
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY.com) - The military wants to ban synthetic marijuana sellers, and heard from local retailers selling Spice on Thursday.Former Marine, Andy Martin drove an hour and a half to get to Lazy Dayz Hookah Lounge in Newport News. "Keeps kids from running out on the streets, doing drugs, you can come in here, lounge, get a hookah, get on your laptop, sit on a couch with your friends and do your thing," said Martin.
The Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board heard from business owners selling Spice.
"It was part public flogging, part sincere information seeking," said Lazy Dayz Owner Jay Sedwick.
Sedwick and co-owner Andrew Erickson presented their side. "We don't sell to people in uniform or fatigues or anyone that has a military ID," said the owners.
The Military said it will put Lazy Dayz and any other business on the Off Limits List if it doesn't stop selling Spice. Spice is on the military's zero tolerance policy. It's packaged and sold as an incense, but when smoked, acts like marijuana.
Andy Martin showed WAVY.com the kind he likes.
"It's comatose candy," said Martin.
Comatose candy is just one brand of Spice.
Lazy Dayz owners said it's unfair for the military to put them on the Off Limits List, especially since they say servicemembers are a huge part of their clientele.
"With service men and women coming back from Iraq, Dubai, Afghanistan, Hookah smoking is a big hobby over there," said Sedwick.
So, why not stop selling Spice?
"They definitely asked us that, there's a huge demand for it, we're in America we shouldn't have to choose one market over another," said Sedwick.
Sedwick and Erickson believe if the military bans all the big spice selling shops, service members will likely buy spice from smaller shops and gas stations, that they say could sell a more dangerous counterfeit version of the product.
"I hope they'll see our side and will take into consideration what we said," said Sedwick.
Lazy Dayz does not allow customers to smoke spice in the Hookah lounge.
The Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board will make a recommendation to the Regional Commander next week.
The admiral will then make the final decision and a letter will be sent to the business.
CHINCOTEAGUE -- The Chincoteague Elementary School Parent Teacher Association's Pumpkin Tour will be held at the Island Nature Trail on Saturday, Oct. 23, from 6:30-8 p.m.Businesses, organizations and families are invited to participate. Bring flashlights. Admission is $1 with refreshments available for purchase.
Contact Joanne Moore 443-569-9003 for more information.
Norfolk, VA – The Virginia Zoo is sad to announce that the giraffe calf born on October 9, 2010 has failed to thrive. He died Thursday, October 14, 2010. Preliminary findings from the necropsy indicate he had acute septicemia. Although the young animal had appeared alert and well, he collapsed on Thursday morning. Zoo keepers were providing supplemental feedings for the calf because its first time mother displayed minimal maternal instincts.
This lack of care is common in the wild where the concept of survival of the fittest is protection for the herd. If a mother in the wild senses that a newborn is not healthy and will not thrive, conditions that are not detectable to humans, she may abandon it. These instincts are strong even in animals living in Zoos.
The male calf was the offspring of the Zoo’s adult male giraffe, Billy, and one of the females, Keana. He was Keana’s first calf. The Zoo’s other female giraffe gave birth to a female calf in October 2009. That giraffe proved to be healthy and strong, and she was transferred to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this week where she will join a herd of young giraffe on exhibit.
ACCOMAC — An Accomack employee had a county-owned laptop computer stolen while on a personal vacation to Las Vegas, and with it the names and Social Security numbers of roughly 35,000 county residents.In some cases, actual addresses of county residents also may have been included in computer files.
“It was taken there without permission,” said County Administrator Steve Miner of the computer.
Miner said the worker remains employed. The matter was discussed during a closed meeting of the Board of Supervisors on Wednesday.
“We really haven’t resolved the personnel side of this,” he said.
The incident happened on the evening of Oct. 7. The county waited seven days before issuing a prepared release to media warning citizens of it.
He said letters will be sent to affected residents “very soon.”
Miner said the county began determining what was on the computer immediately after its theft.
“We have since been trying to work on the problem,” he said. “That was not something we knew, in terms of files. That took some forensic work. Then we had to figure out what it meant.”
Neither Miner nor the release named the employee who had the computer stolen.
A prepared release stated the theft is under criminal investigation. An official with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department confirmed the investigation on Thursday.
County officials believe at least one file, and possibly several, on the computer contained taxpayer identity information, according to the release.
The county advised any citizens who are concerned about the security of their identity may request a fraud alert on their credit report by calling 888-766-0008, 888-397-3742 or 800-680-7289.
The release stated that the county will not comment further during the criminal investigation and personnel review.
“We’re working with all the diligence we can muster through the number of issues to get to a place where we can speak to the matter further,” said county attorney Mark Taylor.
NEWPORT NEWSThe body of a Coast Guardsman who fell overboard during an anti-terrorism training exercise was found this afternoon.
Crews discovered the body near the Monitor-Merimac Memorial Bridge-Tunnel about 5 p.m., a Coast Guard news release said.
The Coast Guardsman's identity was being withheld pending notification of his next of kin. He was an enlisted man from New York, said Capt. Mark Ogle, commander of the service’s Hampton Roads sector.
The accident occurred between the Monitor-Merrimac and Hampton Roads bridge-tunnels at 9:15 p.m. Wednesday as high tide began.
Ogle said the guardsman was part of a team being trained in how to recapture ships that are taken over by terrorists. The crewman was boarding a buoy tender via a ladder as part of an exercise with the cutter Frank Drew when he fell in the water.
The guardsman was wearing a personal flotation device, but it’s not known whether it inflated properly when he fell in the water, said Lt. j.g. Scott McBride.
“We know he had on the same kind that’s a standard part of our tactical gear, but that’s all we can say right now,” McBride said.
A search for the man continued through the day. Ogle said participants in the search included the Coast Guard, police and fire departments from Chesapeake, Newport News, Virginia Beach, Hampton and Norfolk, the Virginia Marine Police, the state police and the Navy. A helicopter and airplanes were also used.
“It is a difficult task to conduct any search and rescue operation, even more so, when it is one of your own that needs help,” Ogle said.
The missing crew member was part of the Coast Guard’s Maritime Safety and Security Team New York, which is based in New York. The unit is in Hampton Roads working with local Coast Guard crews.
CHINCOTEAGUE -- Those who attend the Saturday dedication of the new Chincoteague drawbridge will witness the formal completion of the project and have a chance to own a piece of history.The Virginia Department of Transportation, which is organizing the 11 a.m. dedication at Robert Reed Park near the island library, will distribute commemorative keepsake plaques recognizing the event.
The plaques, which are 5 by 7 inches, will contain a piece of the old bridge. There will be 1,000 available and will be distributed while supplies last.
"We're hoping that every family will have an opportunity to have a piece of the old bridge," said Nora Chivers, VDOT spokesperson. "It's a piece of history."
Expected at the dedication will be state and local officials, including members of the state transportation board.
From noon-2 p.m., the public will be able to walk on the old swing drawbridge that is being replaced and have photos taken on it. The photos will be available on a website following the event.
The new bridge opened to traffic at 7:41 p.m. on April 1 after decades of planning and a $70 million construction project that lasted more than three years.
It replaces two bridges built in 1939 and 1940, which along with the causeway connected Chincoteague with the mainland.
The first bridge connecting the island to the mainland was finished in 1922.
The old drawbridge will remain open until the Marsh Island Connector is complete. Then it will be removed, Chivers said.
The bridge dedication is being held in conjunction with the island's annual Chili and Chowder Cook-off, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Reed park.
The park provides a view of the past and present for those at the bridge dedication.
SNOW HILL -- Have you ever seen ghost hunting shows on TV and wondered how it is done, or if it is even real? Now is your chance to find out. From 7-11 p.m. on the night of Oct. 30, come explore the grounds of Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum with the Peninsula Ghost Hunters Society. Participants are welcome to bring their own camera and encouraged to bring a flashlight.The Ghost Hunters will explain the basics of what to look and listen for when trying to find evidence of the paranormal. Then, join them for a real investigation of the grounds of Furnace Town.
Space is limited and advance registration and payment is required. The cost of this program is $20, with the proceeds benefitting Furnace Town and the Peninsula Ghost Hunters. The program is intended for mature audiences; participants must be 18 years old or older. Please call 410-632-2032 to make reservations.
Hope your day is filled with lots of happiness and lemon meringue pie!
Police agreed to let the Perry and the teen settle the shoplifting crime by having the 18-year-old wear the Bert costume and hold the sign of guilt in shifts for a total of six hours. However, if the young man does not show up for the rest of punishment on Saturday, the store will press charges.
Perry was also gracious enough to leave the young man's identity concealed by the costume, acknowledging that a petty theft charge could ruin his life.
"It could mess up the rest of his life. You go to get a job, it shows you shoplift, no-one wants someone with a criminal background. So, I thought it be nice to get the word out and take care of it," said Perry.
Shoppers agree the deal is more than fair. While the 18-year-old getting busted and having to pay it off wearing the costume and sign is quite humorous, they say it also serves a purpose without costing the public.
“I would much rather wear a costume, than have charges against me,” said Ellen Sonifrank.
If he gets a little bit of embarrassment out of it may be he'll learn a better lesson from it,” added Misty Turner.
As the Sesame Street character stands alone out in front of the seasonal store in Albemarle County, his message to anyone else thinking about getting sticky fingers.
“Don't shoplift. It's not worth it.”
Richmond, Va. --America's dependence on overseas petroleum puts U.S. dollars in hostile pockets, Pickens said, at the same time the country has a 200-year supply of natural gas.
Thanks to recent gas shale discoveries, "we're No. 1 in the world with natural gas," he said.
If the U.S. doesn't take advantage of those resources, he warned last night, "We're going to go down as the dumbest generation that ever came to town."
More than a thousand business representatives, government officials, academic researchers, energy entrepreneurs and lobbyists filled the Greater Richmond Convention Center for the energy conference, which ends today.
And state Secretary of Commerce and Trade James Cheng told the conference, "Energy means jobs" for Virginia.
America imports two-thirds of the oil it consumes, Pickens said, mostly to fuel cars and trucks. Just by converting the nation's fleet of 18-wheelers to natural gas, the U.S. could cut its dependence on OPEC oil in half in seven years.
"We need to use our own resources instead of buying from the enemy," Pickens said earlier, at a news conference with Gov. Bob McDonnell. "Part of what you're paying for oil is going to the Taliban."
Concerns about extracting natural gas from shale deposits by hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," are overblown, said Pickens, because gas shale lies far beneath aquifers. "There's no way anything can get into the aquifer," Pickens said.
Earlier in the day, McDonnell challenged business people to suggest ways state government can aid the development of Virginia's energy sources.
"I want to solve problems," McDonnell said in a luncheon speech. "I want to fix things."
Calling energy a "critically important issue," McDonnell said he favors an "all-of-the-above strategy" that involves increased development of Virginia's fossil fuels such as coal; possible alternative sources such as wind; and also nuclear power.
McDonnell renewed his call for the drilling of oil and natural gas off the Virginia coast -- a possibility the federal government put on hold in spring, after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
The governor said he expects the federal government eventually to allow exploratory drilling off the coast.
McDonnell also called on federal officials to speed up the issuance of permits for energy projects.
The governor's $500 green-jobs tax credit left Alexandria's Kent Baake cold. Baake's Continuum Energy Solutions designs and installs solar energy systems.
"I'm a business owner," Baake said. "That incentive is not a motivation for me to hire more employees."
He urged creating special tax credits to spur the solar energy business.
Glen Besa, director of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said the governor offered "no new solutions or initiatives."
"This is a conference in search of a purpose," Besa said.
State Secretary of Natural Resources Doug Domenech said government's role in the energy sphere, should be to:
• encourage cost-effective, viable energy alternatives, while supporting efforts to increase energy security;
• promote innovation without picking winners and losers; and
• remove unnecessary government bureaucracy while still protecting the environment.
"Get out of the way and let entrepreneurs risk their money for profit," Domenech said.
SAN JOSE MINE, Chile (AP) - The last of the Chilean miners has been raised from deep beneath the earth. All 33 men have now been delivered from the longest underground entrapment in history. The foreman who held the group together when they were feared lost was the last man out. Luis Alberto Urzua was hoisted to safety in a joyous climax to a flawless rescue that captivated the world
The intricately planned rescue that ended late Wednesday moved with remarkable speed -- and flawless execution -- hauling up miner after miner in a cramped cage through a narrow hole drilled through 2,000 feet of rock.
The 33 men spent more than 69 days trapped in the lower reaches of the mine after a huge collapse of rock blocked the way out on Aug. 5.
BERLIN — Two Worcester County residents have been charged with seven counts of drug related charges after the Berlin Police Department responded to a complaint.Jerrell Lamont Harmon, 26, of Snow hill and Garry Bicille Waples, 54 of Berlin, were both charged with trespassing, possession with intent, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of paraphernalia.
After being called to Bay Terrace Garden Apartments, 517 Bay Street, officers observed the two allegedly arrive at the location. They officers had prior knowledge that Harmon had been barred from the property, according to police documents.
After placing Harmon under arrest for trespassing, police say, a K-9 unit searched the vehicle, resulting in the discovery of Oxycodone pills, Colonazepam pills, crack-cocaine, marijuana, Ecstasy pills and drug paraphernalia.
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Bolivan President Evo Morales Wednesday praised the miners before rescuers hoisted the 15th man to safety.Victor Segovia, 48, gave Pinera a thumbs up and a hug as he stepped from the rescue capsule, the 15th of 33 trapped miners rescued. Segovia kept a journal while trapped underground for 69 days.
Victor Zamora, 33, the 14th miner rescued, hugged and kissed his six-months-pregnant wife.
Carlos Barrios, 27, the 13th miner to come out, had only begun mining eight months before the Aug. 5 collapse at the San Jose mine.
Pineria said the rescues were a victory of fear over death.
Earlier, cheers greeted Edison Pena, the 12th trapped miner rescued from the Chilean mine. Pena, 34, who jogged more than two miles a day in dark tunnels, kept other miners' spirits up by leading exercises and singing Elvis Presley songs, CNN said Wednesday.
Mario Heredia Gomez, at 62 the oldest miner of the group, was the ninth extracted. He donned his sunglasses to shield his eyes, then waved a Chilean flag soon after he emerged from the specially designed rescue capsule about 8 1/2 hours after the rescue operation began.
Florencio Avalos, 31, was the first miner to get into the capsule after rescuer Manuel Gonzalez was lowered into the mine. Plans called for four rescuers to join the miners below the surface during the rescue operation, which was expected to take as much as 48 hours.
Gonzalez is an expert in mine emergencies and vertical ascents, the Santiago Times reported. Television news organizations aired live pictures of Gonzalez emerging from the capsule to a warm greeting from the trapped miners.
