The 2011 "Onancock Loves Rescue Pets" Calendar is now on sale at gardenART on King Street, SouthEast Expeditions at the Wharf, Janet's Café, Red Queen Gallery, CD Marsh Jewlers and the SPCA Eastern Shore in Onley.Each of the 50 pets featured has a caption describing how they found their forever homes, many of them through the local SPCA, www.shorespca.com
It was 19 years ago — and about 30 degrees warmer — when Cal and Billy Ripken played in the last game at Memorial Stadium. But on Tuesday, when they replanted home plate in its old spot off East 33rd Street, the past returned as if on a welcome summer breeze.
"What a fitting tribute to have on this hallowed ground," O'Malley said.
POCOMOKE CITY, Md.- Three suspects are facing charges after being accused of stealing dozens of vehicle tire rims from a tire business in Pocomoke City. Christopher D. Joseph, 19, Stephen E. Petitt, 23, and Travis A. Parsons, 24, all of Pocomoke City, were each charged on a criminal summons with theft over $1,000 and conspiracy.
The arrests stemmed from an incident alleged to have occurred at Nock's Tire on Ocean Highway during the overnight hours of Nov. 30. According to detectives with the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation, the three suspects stole 25 vehicle tire rims from the business.
An investigation into the incident led to the arrests of the aforementioned suspects. The investigation is continuing, and anyone with any information about this case is asked to contact the WCBI at (410) 352-3476, or the Worcester County Sheriff's Office at (410) 632-1100.
POCOMOKE CITY -- The mayor and council voted to opt out of a state regulation requiring the installation of sprinkler systems in new single-family homes in Maryland after Jan. 1.Instead, the town will offer owners of a new home a rebate on property taxes if they decide to install a sprinkler system. The amount of the rebate will be decided later.
Two-family homes are not affected by the town's decision since they already come under the code that calls for structures with more than one family to have the systems.
Worcester County Commissioners have so far decided to let the state regulations stand, meaning they would go into effect in the new year. But the two newly elected commissioners who were sworn in Tuesday -- Merrill Lockfaw Jr. and Jim Bunting Jr. -- want to revisit the issue.
In Ocean City, the Town Council is on track to clear the way for the state regulations to take effect in the resort.
Chris B. Derbyshire, representing George, Miles and Buhr, also gave the mayor and council an update this week on the upgrade to the town's sewer plant.
He said work on the upgrade is 82 percent complete. The original completion date was Dec. 29, but an additional 48 days is needed because of a change order in the original contract. Because of the increase in time, the architects requested an additional $32,234 to monitor the construction. The request was approved.
City Manager Russell W. Blake said no local funds will be needed to cover this cost. Derbyshire also said bids should be opened in about two weeks on the UV disinfection project. This addition, costing about $225,000, will disinfect sewage leaving the plant and reduce the cost of operation because it will eliminate the need for chemicals. Again, no local funds will be needed to cover the cost of this project.
A new authority promoting the development of wind farms off Virginia's coast met for the first time, reviewing a raft of reports on the emerging energy source.
SNOW HILL -- The first matter at the Worcester County Commissioners meeting was the swearing-in ceremony for new and seasoned commissioners. Some, such as James Purnell, took the oath for a fifth time and others, like Jim Bunting Jr. and Merrill Lockfaw Jr., were sworn in for their first terms.
December 6, 2010 – West Ocean City Arson Conviction
The Worcester County Fire Marshal’s Office has been investigating an April 11, 2010 residential house fire at 10359 Keyser Point Road, Ocean City, Maryland in Worcester County. Evidence and information from interviews led to the September 1, 2010 arrest of Thomas W. Sellers, (no permanent address). On December 1, 2010, Worcester County Circuit Court convicted Sellers of First Degree Arson. A Pre Sentence Investigation has been ordered. Anyone with additional questions is asked to contact Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Matthew Owens at 410-632-5666 x 2 or at mowens@wcfmo.orgmowens@wcfmo.org.
WALLOPS -- The 90-foot-long first stage of Orbital Sciences' Taurus II rocket has arrived at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility after a journey that began Oct. 8 in Ukraine, continued across the Atlantic Ocean to Wilmington and finally traveled Delmarva's highways to Wallops.A team of Ukrainian rocket engineers arrived at Wallops Flight Facility last month in advance of the rocket stage and will be working there on the Taurus II project.
Taurus II's first launch is scheduled for early 2011.
Orbital Sciences was one of two companies awarded a NASA contract for missions to take supplies to the International Space Station after the space shuttle program ends. NASA, in December 2008, awarded the company a $1.9 billion contract for eight missions.
The first Taurus II mission, under a NASA Commercial Orbital Transportation Services agreement, will be a risk reduction test flight, followed by a demonstration mission to show the vehicle's capability to perform the commercial re-supply missions, which are slated to begin in early 2012.The first stage core structure is nearly 13 feet in diameter and weighs 29,000 pounds with no fuel in it.
It was transported on a 95-foot-long trailer specially designed by Diamond Heavy Haul Inc. of Shandon, Ohio -- a company that specializes in arranging transportation for unusual supersized cargo -- along Route 13 and Chincoteague Road to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, where it will remain in the payload processing facility until a new horizontal integration facility under construction near the launch pad on Wallops Island is completed.
The stage likely will be moved to the island in January, NASA Wallops Flight Facility spokesman Keith Kohler said.
It was shipped by rail from the city of Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine to the Black Sea port of Oktyabrsk, from where it was transported by ship to the United States. It arrived at the Port of Wilmington on Nov. 21, but transport to Wallops was delayed for nearly two weeks due to highway restrictions associated with the Thanksgiving holiday.
Two Ukrainian companies, Yuzhnoye and Yuzhmash, designed and manufactured the rocket component, which includes a liquid oxygen tank, a kerosene fuel tank, an intertank assembly and an aft bay where the main engine interfaces with the booster, according to the Orbital Sciences website.
Other aspects of the Taurus II program also are coming together around the world, including the delivery in September of the first Taurus II AJ26 engine to NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where it is being tested before being sent to Wallops, and the production in Turino, Italy, of the Cygnus cargo modules at the Thales/Alenia Space facility.
The cargo modules will carry up to 4,400 pounds of supplies during missions to the International Space Station. The first payload fairing for the rocket was manufactured in Stockton, Calif., by Applied Aerospace Structures.
SNOW HILL -- The first day of what is expected to be a two-day court trail for Alexander Crippen began with testimony from about a dozen people, including Torrance Davis, whom Crippen is charged with trying to kill.Crippen is charged with the first- and second-degree attempted murder of Davis, along with first- and second-degree assault charges and other related offenses.
Deputy State's Attorney Michael Farlow and Crippen's attorney, Arthur McGreevy, presented opening statements before Judge Richard R. Bloxom before the state began to call its witnesses.
Davis testified that on the night of the shooting he heard a "boom, then pop, pop, pop, pop."
Police found a Bushmaster assault rifle, AR-15, at 503 Laurel St., about one block away from where the shooting took place.
Davis also testified that he had been at the scene of the shooting for about 10 minutes when, he said, Crippen "just started shooting."
"I think he emptied his clip ... maybe six or seven shots," said Davis. "I seen the fire come out of the gun."
An officer from the Pocomoke City Police Department, who was one of the first officers on the scene, testified that when she asked Davis to tell her who shot Handy, he was unable to.
"As I was tending to the victim, I said, 'If you know who did this,' you need to tell me," the officer testified, indicating she lowered her voice so people standing in the crowd could not hear her. "He just kept saying 'R.J., breathe' ... he didn't answer me or say anything in response to the question."
Crippen was previously charged with the shooting death of Reginald Jerome Handy Jr., Davis's cousin, who was found dead at the scene the night of the events now being discussed at trial. But the charge of murder was dismissed at a pretrial motions hearing last week, leaving the lesser attempted murder and assault charges, which are still felonies.
A five-alarm fire tore through a pair of historic buildings facing Mount Vernon Place early Tuesday, causing heavy damage to restaurants and offices in the heart of the city's cultural district.
Police spokesman Chief Kevin Cartwright said that two firefighters suffered minor injuries, were treated at the scene and taken to local hospitals for treatment. One woman suffered minor chest pains and a man had a slight knee injury, he said.
SNOW HILL -- A standing-room-only crowd watched as, for the first time in more than a decade, a new law enforcement leader took the reins in Worcester County as Sheriff Reggie Mason was sworn in.Mason, who was elected sheriff in November, was sworn in by Clerk of Court Stephen Hales as Mason's family, sheriff's deputies and a crowd of supporters watched.
"It's an honor to be in front of you," Mason said. "This is a special day for me and my family."
Mason -- a 28-year veteran of the Sheriff's Office who most recently served as chief deputy -- defeated Democratic candidate Bobby Brittingham in last month's election to take over as head of county law enforcement for Charles Martin, who chose not to run for re-election. Mason thanked Martin, who has held the post for 12 years, and said he hoped his health improved so he could do some traveling in his retirement. In January, Martin publicly disclosed he has Lyme disease and cited that as a reason he wouldn't run again.
Mason, a Republican, thanked his array of supporters, many of whom were in the crowded quarters, as well as those who taught him about police work. He said being elected sheriff meant a lot to him, especially since he lost a sister and his father-in-law during the campaign.
He assured those present that he would continue to ride the county's roads day and night.
"I will continue to make Worcester County safe," he said.
In light of recent fatal accidents on Route 113 in Worcester, Mason said the road's safety would be one of his priorities.
"We've got to do something about 113," he said. "The Worcester County Sheriff's Office will be involved."
Following Mason's installment as sheriff, John Dale Smack III was sworn in as chief deputy of the Sheriff's Office. He said he was looking forward to the opportunity.
"I will do the best I can for you," he said.
December 7th is known as Pearl Harbor Day, also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. Memorial events are held across America in honor of the brave men and women who lost their lives that day and fought for America. 
Chapel Hill, N.C. — Elizabeth Edwards' cancer has spread, and her health has deteriorated, her family said in a statement Monday.Edwards, 61, the estranged wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, was briefly hospitalized recently, but she is now at home, where her family and friends, including John Edwards, are lending their support.
"I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends and a faith in the power of resilience and hope," Edwards wrote in a message posted Monday on her Facebook page. "These graces have carried me through difficult times, and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined. The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that."
Edwards was first diagnosed with cancer in the final weeks of the 2004 presidential campaign, when her husband, who was at the time a U.S. senator from North Carolina, was the Democratic nominee for vice president. The couple didn't disclose her illness until after the election.
The cancer went into remission after months of treatment, but it resurfaced in early 2007, as John Edwards was mounting a second run at the White House. The Edwardses agreed at the time that they wouldn't allow the cancer to derail his candidacy.
Because the cancer had moved into her bones in 2007, her doctors said at that time that it was no longer curable but could be treated.
Doctors now have recommended she not receive further treatment, according to the statement from her family.
Elizabeth Edwards has written two books about how she has overcome adversity in her life, "Resilience" and "Saving Graces."
She and her husband separated about a year ago after more than 30 years of marriage. The split followed John Edwards' affair with a campaign staffer.
The couple has four children: Wade, who died in a vehicle wreck in 1996; Cate, a lawyer in Washington, D.C.; and Emma Claire, 12, and Jack, 10, who both live in Chapel Hill with their mother.
LOS ANGELES -- The discovery of hard plastic inside packages prompted a nationwide recall of 72,000 pounds of canned chicken salad sold nationwide under several labels.The recalled products -- which have a August 2011 "best-by" date for the lunch kit, and February 2012 corresponding date for the cracker package -- were put together and shipped out to distributors and stores between August 14 and 28 of this year.
The recall was prompted by complaints from people who found pieces of loose plastic inside their Bumble Bee packages.
The federal agency noted in its release that it hasn't received any reports of people getting hurt or sick as a result.
(CNN) -- After finding her mother dead inside their home, police issued an Amber Alert for a 12-year-old Virginia girl who they believe has been kidnapped.Brittany Mae Smith was last seen "several days ago," according to a Roanoke County statement issued Monday. Police launched a search for Jeffrey Scott Easley, 32, described by authorities as a friend of the dead mother.
"Police have said that the young lady is in extreme danger," said Teresa Hamilton Hall, public information director for Roanoke County.
Roanoke County police went to a Salem, Virginia, residence around 9:30 a.m. Monday after being contacted by concerned co-workers of Tina Smith, the girl's mother. They found the 41-year-old woman's body inside, and police said they were investigating the death as a possible homicide.Police soon got information that Brittany Smith's whereabouts were unknown, leading them to issue the statewide alert.
"We found out pretty quickly that (Brittany) had not shown up for school. Nobody seemed to know where she was. We're concerned that her disappearance is going to be, at least a good possibility, it has something to do with the homicide," Roanoke County police Lt. Chuck Mason said, according to CNN affiliate WSET of Lynchburg, Virginia.
Virginia's Amber Alert website noted early Monday evening that Easley's car, a 2000 red Chevrolet SUV, has been found. But authorities are still looking for Tina Smith's vehicle, a silver 2005 Dodge Neon four-door sedan with Virginia license plates.Easley, a 265-pound white male, is 5 feet, 11 inches tall, has brown hair and hazel eyes, the Amber Alert says.
Brittany Smith is 5 feet tall, weighs 100 pounds, and has straight brown hair and brown eyes.
Hall said authorities don't yet have a specific search area, as they are uncertain which direction Easley might be heading or how far he might have gotten. They have asked anyone with information to call 911 or Roanoke County police at 540-777-8641.
Sheriff-elect Reggie T. Mason will be sworn in today as the Sheriff of Worcester County by The Honorable Stephen Hales, Clerk of the Circuit Court for Worcester County.
And if there is anything a kitten knows it's how to give themselves a manicure! P.S. The ceiling did get done.
She takes a catnap! I call it a power nap.
Within three weeks, Powell's office will try a first-degree murder case. They will try Jason Joerell Phillips, a 31-year-old Princess Anne man accused of beating his former girlfriend, Melissa Morris, so severely in May that she died of the injuries three months later.
Currently, Powell is juggling his job as an assistant state's attorney in Dorchester County while also developing the framework for the Somerset State's Attorney's Office. Powell contends that Kristy Hickman, the Democratic state's attorney he defeated in the election, hasn't been cooperative with the transition.
"Regardless, I want the residents of the county to know I'm not sitting on my hands waiting for Kristy to reach out to me. I'm doing as much as I can ethically, within the rules of the bar, to get ready," Powell said.
Hickman did not return several calls for comment.
Powell is one of three Republican state's attorneys on the Lower Shore that will be sworn in Jan. 3. Beau Oglesby will take office in Worcester County after defeating four-term incumbent Joel Todd, and Matt Maciarello will take over in Wicomico County, replacing Davis Ruark, who had been in office since 1987.
A shake-up of top prosecutors concentrated in one region is unusual. Statewide, only seven of the 24 state's attorney's offices won't have an incumbent returning, and that's counting the three new prosecutors on the Lower Shore.
Awaiting the new state's attorneys is batch of important cases, ranging from murder trials and rape cases to cases involving armed robberies, first-degree assault and drug transactions.
Adam Hoffman, a political analyst with Salisbury University, said the Republican sweep of Lower Shore state's attorney elections can be attributed to the anti-incumbent mood that swept much of the nation. He also said Republicans often have a built-in advantage in prosecutorial races because of the GOP's reputation as the law-and-order party.
"And as people are more concerned about the rising crime rates on certain parts of the Eastern Shore, Salisbury and whatnot, they may turn to what they perceive as representative from a party that might be able to do a better job," he said.
No case has a higher profile than April's death penalty trial of Thomas Leggs Jr. in Cecil County. He is accused of kidnapping, molesting and murdering 11-year-old Sarah Foxwell of Salisbury."This case is so involved that it needs the time and attention of at least two full-time attorneys," Maciarello said.
Maciarello got a head start on the case when Ruark swore him in as the deputy state's attorney Nov. 8. Under that status, Maciarello can receive privileged information about any case. He's traveled to Cecil County to participate in the Foxwell case's discovery hearings. The hearings determine what evidence will be admitted for the case.
There are four additional murder cases pending in the Wicomico County State's Attorney's Office, not to mention several unsolved murders under investigation.
Maciarello said he won't shake up how the cases are prosecuted. That goes for the first-degree murder trial of Kenneth Lee Burke Jr., who is accused of killing his girlfriend, Taheerah Sabr, in August by shooting her twice in the head. No date has been set for the trial.
"All these cases have been pending for some time. Those assistant state's attorneys will handle them. I have no plans to reassign them," Maciarello said.
Maciarello said he's focused his attention on wrapping up his partnership at Hearne & Bailey in Salisbury. But that hasn't stopped him from diving into the administrative duties in the State's Attorney's Office.
With Ruark's blessing, Maciarello has begun reviewing the office's $1.75 million budget, scheduling attorney case loads for January and meeting with his staff, individually and as a group.
Ruark said he hasn't explored his career options in depth because his focus right now is on the Foxwell case. Maciarello has offered Ruark the chance to be the lead counsel in the case.
"I am committed to Sarah's case above all else," Ruark said.
Worcester County State's Attorney Joel J. Todd said the campaign against Beau Oglesby was "a long, hard battle." With that behind them, the two share a common goal: pursuing justice in hundreds of pending cases, including four murder trials."When I took the oath of office, in my opinion, that includes getting the next person ready, whether I pass the baton voluntarily or the voters decide it's time for someone else," Todd said.
Oglesby said he and Todd have met several times to discuss the job, personnel matters and upcoming cases.
"There's a bigger issue and that's public safety and the effective and successful prosecution of cases," Oglesby said. "I've got nothing but favorable things to say about not only Joel, but his entire office in the way the transition is going. We'll be ready. I'm as intimate as you could be with the cases at this point."
Oglesby's office, not Todd's, will handle the Feb. 8 murder trial in the death of Christine Sheddy. A 20-year-old Texas man, Justin Michael Hadel, is accused of killing Sheddy, who first went missing in 2007 and whose remains were found this February.
When asked if his successor would be ready for the demands of the job, Todd instead reflected on his own career.
"I hadn't been on the job a week before I realized there was a lot more to being state's attorney than when I was the deputy," he said. "I suspect that's true of anybody that takes over."
Oglesby, 41, leaves his job as deputy state's attorney for Caroline County to take over in Worcester. He has spoken with Maciarello and Powell about formalizing a Lower Shore collaboration of law enforcement that would meet to share information among task forces, combined criminal units and child advocacy centers.
Todd has no major trials pending in his remaining three weeks. He said he has no idea what his next move will be, saying it's too early to tell, but promised he won't run for public office again.
In Somerset, Powell said he is "disappointed" that Hickman and he aren't having a smooth transition with the office. But that hasn't stopped Powell from working on the office. He's selected Edmund L. Widdowson Jr. as his assistant state's attorney. Powell said Widdowson has 30 years of experience and will make a great deputy state's attorney.
"It's my ship now," Powell said. "I will take an active role in the cases."
OCEAN CITY – Convicted killer Benjamin Sifrit, who, along with his wife Erika, brutally murdered a Virginia couple vacationing in Ocean City on Memorial Day weekend in 2002, this week had his latest attempt at an appeal shot down by a federal court judge.
Chincoteague Island Old Fashioned Christmas Parade
"We're very, very lucky to have such a wonderful collector who believes the museum is a jewel," Merkel said. Several other vehicles from Bulgari's collection of 1930s and '40s classic American-made vehicles were on display at the museum earlier this year and he has become a staunch supporter of the facility.
But work was needed on the car's straight-8-cylinder Buick engine, and other parts of the car were missing, Flickinger said. Its exhaust system, for example, is new. There are scratches and rust beneath the paint on its doors, but Flickinger said those flaws won't be fixed.
