I want to thank my supporters for all of their sacrifice and efforts during my campaign. Your prayers have sustained me, your encouragement has lifted me and your votes have humbled me.I affirm my commitment to communicate the actions being discussed and those acted upon by the General Assembly, and to always be a strong voice for the Eastern Shore.
Mike McDermott
Pocomoke City
Maryland House of Delegates -ELECT
District 38-B
When it comes to performing before large outdoor crowds, Discovery Channel's "Mythbusters" hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman have some experience.On that day, aerial photography analysis commissioned by CBS News estimated that the rally drew about 215,000. So when Savage and Hyneman host this weekend's Punkin Chunkin, which drew about 80,000 people last year, their nerves should be calm.
With about 115 teams competing in the pumpkin-flinging event and Discovery Channel television crews crawling across the Wheatley farm working on this year's specials, Punkin Chunkin Association spokesman Frank Shade has a prediction for this weekend: "Absolute chaos -- controlled mayhem."
For the third year in a row, Discovery Networks will produce a special at this weekend's event to be simulcasted Thanksgiving night on both the Discovery and Science channels with Savage and Hyneman serving as hosts. A one-hour "Road to Punkin Chunkin" documentary will air the night before, Nov. 24, on the Science Channel.
"Next to football games, turkey and pumpkin pie, Punkin Chunkin is a national Thanksgiving tradition," Clark Bunting, Discovery Channel president and general manager said in a statement announcing this year's programming, which will be filmed at the event site near Bridgeville at the Wheatley Farm.It's hard to underestimate the power of the Discovery Channel exposure for Delaware's quirkiest event, which officially kicks off Friday at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday with the naming of this year's champion. Before 2008, the event drew about 30,000 to 50,000 spectators. Last year's record crowd of 80,000 is expected to be surpassed this year.
"We could go well into six digits," Shade predicted. "The Discovery folks have put us over the top."Mike Sorensen, executive producer of the Science Channel's Punkin Chunkin specials, said last year's Punkin Chunkin coverage was the highest-rated special in the channel's history, drawing in plenty viewers across the country to watch what was once Delaware's own secret.
"It's American ingenuity at its best," Sorensen said. "People get a peek into this world. The machines are incredible. The people are great. And they are really into it, fighting for bragging rights."This year, the television crew for the specials have doubled to about 40 people, he said, adding that slow motion cameras and new technology usually used to track golf balls for television audiences will be used for the pumpkins for the first time.
Punkin Chunkin's relationship with Discovery goes back to 2003, when the cable network first produced its first pumpkin-filled hour-long special. Back then, about 65 machines competed in front of about 25,000 people. The television exposure wasn't completely new. In the mid-'90s, "The Late Show with David Letterman" famously flung pumpkins down 52nd Street in Manhattan and several cable networks have aired segments on the event over the years.
Sorensen said Savage and Hyneman are perfect to host Punkin Chunkin and the pair will lean on their own engineering expertise while inspecting the machines and interviewing participants."This is absolutely their territory and their crowd," he said. "Their engineering knowledge is unmatched. And I think once we get them with the characters there and their machines, it'll be such a great fit. This event was really made for these guys."
No, President Obama's trip is not going to cost $200 million a day.That figure -- first thrown out by a single Indian media outlet and now viral on conservative talk radio -- is wildly off the mark.
The problem is that the costs for these trips are impossible to determine, for many of the president's expenses would be incurred whether he was visiting India or Atlanta or simply hanging around the White House. Obama's India trip starts an Asian swing that includes South Korea, Indonesia and Japan.
The administration isn't inclined to detail costs, most of which deal with security.
"The numbers reported in this article have no basis in reality," said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor. "Due to security concerns, we are unable to outline details associated with security procedures and costs, but it's safe to say these numbers are wildly inflated."
To be sure, these trips do cost millions of dollars per day.
Whenever a president travels, he or she takes a mini-White House with them, from bulletproof limousines to gaggles of aides. This can come in awfully handy when trouble happens, such as the terrorist attacks on 9/11 when George W. Bush was in Florida. Ronald Reagan was traveling in Asia when the Chernobyl nuclear plant in what was then the Soviet Union blew up in 1986.
Foreign trips are expensive but are a staple of presidential duties. India is a rising economy power. It is next to -- and has an intense rivalry with -- one of the world's most dangerous countries, Pakistan. It can be a counterweight to threats from China. Any president is going to deal with India.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim majority nation. South Korea is the site of a G-20 global economic summit. Japan is hosting the annual Asian economic summit, which Obama's predecessors also attended. There's no evidence that Obama's team is spending any more money than its predecessors, taking inflation into account.
Yes, these gigs will cost money. But $200 million a day? Not even close.
One other thing to keep in mind: The Secret Service is not going to let anything happen to a president overseas if they can help it. They're going to do -- and spend -- whatever it takes. That's just a fact of life.
One last thing: The media organizations accompanying Obama will pay their own expenses.
So how much will it cost and who is picking up the tab???
Accomack County Commonwealths Attorney Gary Agar Reports the following cases were heard in Accomack Countys Circuit Court:
BERLIN -- Barrett Chevrolet is now a drop-off location for donations to Operation We Care. The dealership is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The dealership is located at 10419 Old Ocean City Blvd. and backs up to Route 50.Operation We Care will pack boxes on Nov. 14, the Sunday following Veterans Day, to be distributed to our military personnel deployed in harm's way. Boxes will be delivered before the holidays. The donation list is available online at www.easternshorehog-com. Cash donations will be used for postage, as each box costs $12.50 to ship to the troops. The Ocean City Post Office delivers most of the boxes to Iraq and Afghanistan in about a week to 10 days.
If you know a local member of our military who is deployed or is soon to be deployed, please contact Jeff Merritt, coordinator of Operation We Care, at 410-713-8940 or jemerritt314@-yahoo.com.
President Obama has just given Slurpee something it could never buy: global street cred.Hours after the leader of the free world jokingly suggested at Wednesday's day-after-election press conference that he might hold a "Slurpee Summit" with the new Republican leadership, the brand of slushy soft drinks is in overdrive to make the summit real.
"This is a rare opportunity for a brand," says Margaret Chabris, a spokeswoman for 7-Eleven, which owns 44-year-old Slurpee. "We don't want to be opportunistic, but nothing has ever been this big for Slurpee."
This is what brands dream about. Bud Light got a big PR lift after Obama drank a Bud Light at the White House "Beer Summit" in July 2009. That brought together Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and James Crowley, the police sergeant who arrested him.
During recent campaign speeches, Obama said Republicans stood around drinking Slurpees while Democrats did the hard legislative work. Now, Slurpee's getting the last laugh. Already in motion:
•Negotiations. White House officials were contacted late Wednesday by officials representing 7-Eleven with a proposal for the Slurpee brand to cater a Slurpee Summit between key Democrats and Republicans. The summit could be at the White House — or wherever the president chooses.
"If the president wants a Slurpee Summit, we're offering to cater it with red and blue Slurpees — and we'll even offer a purple Slurpee, since that's what you get when you bring red and blue together," Chabris says.
7-Eleven's request to the White House was made via the public relations firm New Partners, which has many employees who worked on the Obama campaign in 2008.
•Advertising. 7-Eleven on Friday will place an ad in national newspapers that plays off the idea of Slurpees bringing people together, says Chabris. One concept in discussion is a picture of a purple Slurpee with a red straw and a blue straw sticking out.
•Strategy. Slurpee is re-evaluating its brand strategy. It's looking at a new theme to be a drink that "brings people together," says Chabris.
Consultant David Aaker says it doesn't get any better. "If they actually have a summit, it's worth tens of millions of dollars in free advertising."
Strategy guru Mark Coopersmith says Slurpee should quickly go big in social media, nudging folks to have Slurpee Summits to solve problems.
"How often do you get the leader of the free world to associate your brand with all of these positive elements?"
Congressman-elect Scott Rigell has released his plan for reforming Congress. In the plan, Rigell states he attempt to reshape the mindset in Washington, forcing elected officials to be more transparent and frugal with taxpayer dollars.
SNOW HILL — The Worcester state’s attorney race narrowed when absentee ballots were counted, but candidate Beau Oglesby retained a 107-vote lead over incumbent Joel Todd.When election officials finished counting about 1,500 absentee ballots Thursday, Todd, a Democrat, had received 739 additional votes. Oglesby, a Republican, added 701 absentee votes.
That cut down the vote lead Oglesby earned on Election Day, but did not reverse it.
“This time four years ago, I was up by two [votes], and now I’m up by 107,” Oglesby said, referring to a razor-thin 2006 contest in which Todd prevailed by 14 votes. “It’s a much better place to be.”
Several hundred absentee ballots Worcester officials mailed out to voters who asked for them haven’t yet been cataloged or counted. Ballots postmarked by Nov. 2 and received by the time officals count absentees again on Nov. 12 could still be counted as valid votes.
“We’re quietly optimistic,” Oglesby said. “There’s still enough votes out there to make a difference, so we’ll stand by and see what happens.”
Todd did not return a call for comment late Thursday.
In another close Worcester county race, for District 4 commissioner, incumbent Democrat Virgil Shockley slightly widened his lead over Republican Ted Elder.
Shockley earned 93 absentee votes, for a total of 1,257; Elder garnered 79, for a total of 1,172. Shockley now leads by 85 votes.
Just like Bobby, Merrill Lockfaw, is a man you can trust and believe in. He is a man that will work for the citizens and the communities. CONGRATULATIONS MERRILL !!
And good luck!
SAN DIEGO – Federal authorities in San Diego have made one of the largest marijuana seizures in the United States, confiscating 20 tons of pot near an underground tunnel connecting warehouses on either side of California's border with Mexico, officials said Wednesday.Mexican authorities seized another four tons of pot from the warehouse on their side of the border. Officials said the lightening-speed, 12-hour operation started Tuesday night when U.S. authorities watching a warehouse under surveillance followed a tractor-trailer as it left the building.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents called in the California Highway Patrol, whose officers stopped the rig near Temecula and authorities found 10 tons of marijuana inside. The driver, a U.S. citizen, and his Mexican wife were arrested and will be arraigned in San Diego on Thursday.
Authorities quickly obtained a federal search warrant to go inside the warehouse, where they discovered 10 to 15 tons of marijuana — worth an estimated $20 million, said ICE director John Morton.
They also found a wood door that opened to a hole leading to the tunnel, running the length of six football fields, under the border and into a warehouse in Mexico, Morton said. Officials found packets being ready to be moved into the United States from the tunnel, which had lighting, ventilation and a rail system to send loads of illegal drugs into California.
"This is not a mom-and-pop operation. This is obviously the work of a cartel," said Morton, who held a news conference outside the warehouse in an industrial park near the Otay Mesa truck crossing, across from Tijuana.
Officials said the seizure was the largest ever in California and was believed to be the second-largest in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized 33 tons of marijuana in Oregon in 2008, DEA special agent Ralph W. Partridge said.
In another significant vote on the health front Tuesday, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors took a big step toward an ordinance against restaurants handing out toys as part of junky kids' meals.Can you say McDonald's Happy Meal? We thought you could.
In an 8-3 vote, the board passed a preliminary version of a new rule that forbids toy freebies with meals that don't meet minimum nutritional standards.
"This is a challenge to the restaurant industry to think about children's health first and join the wide range of local restaurants that have already made this commitment," Supervisor Eric Mar, who introduced the legislation, said in a statement.
How high is the bar? Not as high as you might think.
Here's the lowdown on what kind of meal would qualify.
Meals would also have to offer fruit or vegetables.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has said he would veto the ordinance. But if a final vote, expected next week, goes like this one, it would be veto-proof.
McDonald's is unhappy. "We are extremely disappointed with this decision," company spokeswoman Danya Proud said in a statement. "It's not what our customers want, nor is it something they asked for."
The fast-food chain says research shows the proposal is "unrealistic" because kids aren't likely to eat the sorts of meals stipulated by the ordinance.
Although the amounts in the residue left by flea collars are smaller than the doses that cause acute human symptoms, both TCVP and propoxur may cause long-term health consequences. Propoxur is known to cause cancer in humans, according to the State of California. TCVP is classified by the US EPA as a possible human carcinogen.
Start with chemical-free methods and use chemical treatments only when necessary.
Wash pet bedding (and your bedding, too, if your pet sleeps with you) in hot, soapy water.
Vacuum often to remove flea eggs, and replace the vacuum bag frequently.
Comb your pet daily with a fine-toothed flea comb. Dispose of any fleas you find.
If needed, try products made with essential oils of lemongrass, cedarwood, peppermint, rosemary or thyme.
If you are getting a new cat, keep it indoors so that fleas and ticks will not be a problem.
If non-chemical methods haven't worked, look for lower risk products. Check the label to make sure the product does not contain tetrachlorvinphos or propoxur or any of the other high risk chemicals. Make sure the product is suitable for your pet and follow the instructions carefully. The safest options, according to NRDC, are pill-based flea treatments.
Visit NRDC's http://www.greenpaws.org for a comprehensive list of brand-name products with their chemical ingredients and more information about health risks from pesticides. ___ For better health and sustainable living tips, articles and how-tos, visit NRDC SimpleSteps at: http://www.simplesteps.org/.
Written by, Eleanor Clift
Virginia farmers will see an opportunity to improve their incomes under Wal-Mart Stores' plan to have more locally grown food in its U.S. stores.
SNOW HILL — A three-day jury trial of the man accused of murdering Christine Sheddy, a missing woman whose remains were found last spring, is slated to begin Dec. 7.Justin M. Hadel of College Station, Texas, who turns 20 next week, is charged with first-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault. Prosecutors say they believe he killed Sheddy on Nov. 13, 2007. Her family didn’t know her fate until last February, when her body was found buried in a Snow Hill yard.
In charging documents, police detectives said Hadel had been a guest at a home at 2911 Byrd Road, near Pocomoke, at the same time Sheddy was staying there, and that witnesses told police Hadel was responsible for her death. Court records show Hadel’s trial is expected to last three days, with closing arguments delivered Dec. 9.
REGGIE MASON WINS!!"My mission and dedication is to continue to serve the citizens of Worcester County to keep our children and families safe. The citizens are the eyes and ears of every community and I always welcome open lines of communication between the citizens and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office. I am a true believer in giving back to the Community in which I serve. I will be accessible to the public for any needs or concerns that they may have. We need to work together to make Worcester County a safe place to work, live and raise our children. The Sheriff’s Departments success depends on the citizens of this county." Reggie Mason
Congratulations Reggie !!
Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott wins seat in Maryland House Of Delegates!"We've been working on this campaign for two years," he said. "When I started, it wasn't necessarily a great time to be a Republican. Now, big government has fallen out of favor." Delmarvanow.com
SNOW HILL -- In a tight race and before absentee ballots were counted, challenger Beau Oglesby had an edge over veteran prosecutor Joel Todd in the race for Worcester County State's Attorney. Oglesby, who led Todd by 169 votes late Tuesday night, knows what a tight race feels like; he was narrowly defeated by Todd in 2006.
"Four years ago, we were down by one vote on election night and ended up losing by 14," said Oglesby, a Republican. "We're in a much better position now. We're quietly optimistic this will hold but we're unsure how many absentee ballots are outstanding."
According to election officials, 1,500 absentee ballots have been collected and will begin being counted Thursday, although the final results of that count will not be known until Nov. 22. In addition, late Tuesday night ballots from three voting machines -- one each from Di
stricts 1, 2 and 6 -- were being counted manually because of machine errors.
Although Oglesby led in the polls for much of the night, with 14 of 18 precincts reporting, Todd took the lead with 6,669 votes. Just after 11 p.m., however, when all 18 precincts' votes were tallied, Oglesby had regained a slight advantage.
Todd said early in the evening that if he did lose, it would not be because of political mailers from his campaign that the Worcester Republicans called unethical last week. On the mailers, Todd was pictured with several prominent people under a headline that read "Community Leaders Support Joel Todd," although some of them had not endorsed him. Todd's wife and campaign manager, Anita Todd, took the blame for sending the literature.
"If I lose the election, I don't think it has anything to do with that," Todd said as ballots were being counted.
Todd was joined at the polls Tuesday by Lynn Dodenhoff, the mother of Pocomoke City woman Christine Sheddy, whose body was found in Snow Hill earlier this year after she had gone missing. Dodenhoff said Todd was the only man she trusted to prosecute Justin M. Hadel, the man charged in Sheddy's death.
"I believe this is the only man who could prosecute my daughter's murderers," she said. "He's the only man that listened to me and stepped in, got the right people involved in her case."
Other races
In the sheriff's race, current chief deputy for the office Reggie Mason came out significantly ahead of Democratic challenger Bobby Brittingham. Mason received 12,083 votes, while Brittingham took 6,709.
In the Worcester County Commissioners races, incumbents came out ahead, with Commissioner Judy Boggs besting challenger John Bodnar in District 5 with 2,212 votes to his 1,301.
"It was a particularly satisfying win," Boggs said. "The people of Ocean Pines, by an overwhelming vote, demonstrated their confidence in me. I'm delighted by that and I'm looking forward to another four years."
VIRGINIA BEACH — Republican Scott Rigell rode a wave of conservative voters to knock off freshman Democrat Rep. Glenn Nye, recapturing a Hampton Roads swing district for the GOP, the Associated Press is projecting based on exit polling.Rigell, who owns a chain of car dealerships in Hampton Roads, pushed his business background as the main reason that local voters should send him to Congress, blasting Democratic leaders for deficit spending.
The congressional midterm elections are an important indicator of the nation's political mood, and Republicans were expected to reclaim control of the House of Representatives and perhaps even the U.S. Senate.
Rigell's victory is a boon for the Virginia Republican Party because the district, which includes parts of Hampton and Norfolk and all of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore, had been reliably Republican for a number of years prior to 2008.
Nye knocked off incumbent Thelma Drake during the 2008 campaign by eking out narrow victories in Hampton and Norfolk and rolling up a few thousand vote advantage in traditionally conservative Virginia Beach.
This year, there were early reports of heavy voter turnout in downtown Hampton at Armstrong Elementary School, which usually breaks for Democrats on Election Day. But further north in Hampton at Asbury Elementary School in Fox Hill Rigell signs surrounded the precinct where Nye gear was hard to spot.
But.... and to me this is a BIG "BUT"; ... I had my I.D. (license) out and ready (and here's the "BUT") but they didn't ask for any I.D., notta, zip, zero, I was asked for nothing to prove I was who I said I was.
Remember, Ecclesiastes 10:2 NIV The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left. 
NEWARK — After piecing together clues in a horrific head-on collision on Route 113 Monday night, police described the accident as a violent, brutal wreck, with a compact car “catapulting upward” when it struck an oncoming SUV.Maryland State Police said three adults and a two-year-old child died in the accident near the intersection of Langmaid Road and Route 113. They were in a Nissan Cube being driven northbound on Route 113 by Carmelo Dominguez, 53, of the Bronx, N.Y., who was one of the four people killed. Also killed in the crash were his wife, Evelyn E. Morales, 48; his daughter, Natasha E. Dominguez, 23; and his grandson, Jose Dominguez, 2.
Three other family members who were in the same car were injured, police said: a daughter, Christina A. Dominguez, 25, and two grandchildren, four-year-old Yasmine Dominguez-Astacio and nine-year-old Christina Gonzalez. The three were taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
In all, police said, seven people were in the Cube, a five-passenger slab-sided compact car, as Dominguez drove it back from Virginia Beach, where they had been visiting family. “It does not appear that anyone in the vehicle was using seat belts or in child safety seats,” police said in a statement.
Drivers of two other cars involved in the wreck were also injured, police said. Mary M. Jones, 41, of the 6700 block of Lenape Place, Snow Hill, was taken to PRMC in Salisbury. Daniel H. Nelson, 23, of Mt. Holley, N.J. was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.“The preliminary findings indicate the crash was caused by speed, improper passing, and aggressive driving. Alcohol does not appear to be a factor,” police said.
The road was closed for seven hours while police and rescuers dealt with the crash, MSP said.
