Letter To The Editor

Dear Editor,

About 14 to 16 months ago the Mayor and Council began an earnest search for a suitable building to house our police department.   There are many reasons this needed to be done.  The old armory that currently houses the PD is well over 80 years old.  The roof leaks, the furnace is unreliable, there is lead paint, asbestos and mold in the building.  Early 20^th century lighting, wiring and public facilities are not adequate in a 21^st century world, the jail is no longer serviceable and the building wastes energy like you would not believe.  Our police officers and the public deserve better than this.  We considered several buildings and finally settled on the one next to the PVFC on Market Street.  An older building had been considered, but we were advised that the cost of renovation would exceed one million dollars, which did not include the purchase price of the property.

When renovations are completed, we should have a new modern station for considerable less than one million dollars.  Some advantages of the new station in no particular order are:

      It will be ADA compliant, contained all on one ground level floor

      Much greater energy efficiency, resulting in savings for decades to come

      More parking for public and officers without having to cross the street

      Little or no environmental hazards in the building (lead, asbestos, mold)

      More visible location, easier to find for folks from out of town

      Better coordination with the PVFC due to being located next door

      7 year old building instead of an 85+/- year old building

      A fenced impound and prisoner transfer lot

Officers will have the ability to transfer prisoner from patrol car to jail cell inside the building.  This will be safer for the officers, prisoners and the public.

Prisoners will no longer have to be immediately delivered to Snow Hill for incarceration which will save on gasoline and wear and tear on police vehicles and keep officers in town.

Original building was built by a local contractor which will make renovations easier and less costly.

Building is already partially wired for computer communications and all other utilities are in place

Plenty of room for evidence storage and processing

Space to provide meeting room for joint task force operations with other law enforcement agencies

Police will have much quicker access to US 13 and 113 where many of our traffic accidents occur

The building is a good deal for the city.  A building this size would cost over $750,000.00 to build not including the land which several of your readers have already pointed out.

We cannot know for sure what the utility savings will be, but we expect that the savings may offset between one half and two thirds of the annual mortgage cost, compared to the armory.

It is important to keep in mind that moving the station less than a mile from its present location will not affect policing anywhere in the city.  Officers do not spend much time in the station except for roll call and processing prisoners.  The Mayor, Council, City Manager and Police Chief will monitor policing activities as this process moves forward and take corrective action if needed.

Remember, we have not settled on the property yet, so this is all still in the planning stages.  More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.  My apologies for the length of this article, but I felt it was important to share this information.

I will close by saying that there was not one single negative comment regarding this issue at our meeting tonight.  Finally, God Bless and Protect our police officers and Thank God for the U. S. Navy Seals!

Respectfully,
Rob Clarke
Councilman, 5^th District

Baltimore Ravens Linebacker Ray Lewis Helps Boy After Mother's Suicide

NEW YORK (AP) -- NFL linebacker Ray Lewis is helping a 10-year-old New York boy whose mother drowned herself and three children by driving a van into the Hudson River.

The surviving child, La'Shaun Armstrong, was to attend a Manhattan fundraiser of the United Athletes Foundation on Saturday night. Some of the proceeds will go to him, including scholarship money.

The Baltimore Ravens star says he reached out to the child as soon as he heard about the April 12 tragedy. The boy escaped through a van window after the car plunged into the water in Newburgh, N.Y., and was rescued by a passing driver.

La'Shaun's 25-year-old mother, Lashanda Armstrong, reportedly was distraught over an argument with her boyfriend.

La'Shaun told the Daily News that meeting the 35-year-old linebacker was "awesome."

Lewis says the boy needs mentoring from a father figure. His biological father, Todd Johnson, is in prison on a robbery conviction.

As soon as he heard news of the accident, "I was like, 'I need to find him,' " Lewis told the newspaper at a Manhattan bowling complex earlier this week, when the boy arrived with his grandmother and another relative to meet the NFL player and get some bowling tips from him.

"Nobody is supposed to walk through life alone with that, especially being 10 years old," said Lewis, who is vice chairman of the United Athletes Foundation.

The nonprofit was created in 2008 by a group of professional athletes whose aim is to improve the lives of athletes and their communities.

The president of the nonprofit, former NFL cornerback Reggie Howard, took La'Shaun shopping for clothes earlier this week.

The foundation plans to help La'Shaun well into the future.

"I don't want to come into his life for a phase," Lewis said. "I want to be in his life forever."

Source; http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110501/SPORTS/105010338/Ray-Lewis-helps-boy-after-mom-s-suicide-plunge?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|frontpage|s

E-cycling focus of Earth Day Festival On Chincoteague

ON CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND

4th ANNUAL MOTHER EARTH DAY FESTIVAL

Saturday  May 7,  20ll   10:00 AM until  4:00 PM

At the Robert Reed Downtown Waterfront Park

 The Festival is sponsored by the Chincoteague Cultural Alliance to increase awareness about the ways we can help protect the area we live in and the planet.

At last year's festival, over 7,600 pounds of household hazardous waste materials were collected, breaking all records on the Eastern Shore.

This year, the focus is on Electronics recycling. Any type of electronics may be recycled -- computers, keyboards, monitors, printers, scanners, TVs, gaming systems, MP3 players, iPods, cell phones, digital clocks, batteries, stereos, telephones, answering machines, etc. Donation of most items is free. The only charge will be $1 for old style computer monitors and $5 for televisions. Electronics discarded in our landfills release toxins and pollute our environment. While you are doing your spring cleaning this year, put aside any electronics you no longer need and bring them to the Mother Earth Day Festival for recycling.

Also Tidewater Recycling, which is the company that picks up on Chincoteague, will be on hand with educational information and displays to answer all your questions. There will be a 'Pledge Mural' that you and the kids can paint on and will be displayed around town.

In addition to the recycling events, live music featuring Men with Issues, Hemlock Hollow and surprise entertainers will play throughout the day. Over 20 artist/vendors will be participating, including a plant sale. This year's silent auction to raise funds to support future free CCA events features chairs designed by famous local artists. The entries are on display at Sundial Books on Main St.

For more information, please contact Megan at Egret Moon Artworks 757-336-5775 or e-mail egretmoon@yahoo.com.

Source; shoredailynews.com

"Short and Sassy" Finishes In First Place

"Short and Sassy" finished in first place on Saturday April 30, 2011 on opening day of the Gumboro Mudbog.

This year the truck has a new 454 engine built by Roger Evans ("Odie's Garage") and fine tuned, I guess you could say, by Donald "Pencil Me In" Bowden. 

"Short and Sassy" won first place in the SMALL TIRE SUPER STOCK class with a 12.023.  Because of the conditions of the pits that's pretty good.

Due to camera difficulties I wasn't able to record the first and winning race but here is the video  of the second race.  Timing was unavailable.   

Useless Trivia

Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.


Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
   
People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.
   
Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined. He died April 18, 1955
   
Astronauts can't belch -  there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.
   
Ancient Roman, Chinese  and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.  Boy am I glad I didn’t live back then!
   
    
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!
   
Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.
   
The night of January 20^th is "Saint Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.
   
    
Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros
   
It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!
   

Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of  years
   
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one  end
   
If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. When a human body is dehydrated,  its thirst 
mechanism shuts  off.
   
Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.
   
    
Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals
   
Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.
   
The song, Auld Lang Syne, is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.
   
   
Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61percent
   
Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above  450 degrees F   
    
The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.
   
Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean
   
The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man
   
Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density
     
The University of Alaska spans four time zones
   
The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.
   
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage.  Catching it meant she accepted.  I can’t catch – I guess I’d be an old maid!

   
  
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song Happy Birthday.
   
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
   
A comet's tail always points away from the sun
   
The Swine Flu vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to  prevent
   
Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers that is why it is found in some medicines.
   
The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.
   
If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.
   
When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight
    
In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed
   
Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside
   
Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams

  
The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year
   The Earth gets 100 tons  heavier every day due to falling space dust
   
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters
   
   
Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy
   
Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down
      
Everything weighs one percent less at the equator
   
For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off
   
The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements.   

Hat Tip; Kack

The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA)

Washington, DC March 23, 2011 - The Obama Administration is urging Congress and the Senate to pass sweeping legislation that will provide new benefits for many Americans: The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA) . President Obama said he will sign it as soon as it hits his desk.

The AWNAA is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition.

'Roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in society,' said California Senator Barbara Boxer. 'We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing. We are legalizing another protected class of Americans.'

In a Capitol Hill press conference, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) pointed to the success of the U.S. Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. Approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest U.S. employer of Persons of Inability.

Private-sector industries with good records of non-discrimination against the Inept include retail sales (72%), the airline industry (68%), and home improvement 'warehouse' stores (65%). At the state government level, the Department of Motor Vehicles also has an excellent record of hiring Persons of Inability (a whopping 83%).

Under The Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million 'middle man' positions will be created, with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance.

Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given so as to guarantee upward mobility for even the most inept employees. The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability into middle-management positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Non-abled, banning, for example, discriminatory interview questions such as, 'Do you have any skills or experience that relate to this job?'

'As a Non-abled person, I can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them,' said Ken Cox, who lost his position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint , Michigan , due to his inability to remember 'righty tightey, lefty loosey.' 'This new law should be real good for people like me,' Cox added. With the passage of this bill, Cox and millions of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): 'As a Senator with no abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every American with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her inadequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation and a good salary for doing so.'

The Craziest Things Go Through The Mud

I've seen some of the craziest vehicles  driven through the knee deep thick gooey mud at Gumboro.  And some of those vehicles are actually the transportation to get to Gumboro.  But I've never seen one  of these.

David Elliott of Virginia brought his ARGO to Gumboro on Saturday to test in the  mud.   There is a  2 cylinder Briggs and Stratton motor in this little thing and it  will get you anywhere you want to go.

Even through deep think mud.  Watch this!

Elite SEALs From Va. Beach-based Unit Swooped In On bin Laden

American Troops did another KICK-A--- Job!!  THANKYOU!!

By MATT APUZZO

ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON  — Helicopters descended out of darkness on the most important counterterrorism mission in U.S. history. It was an operation so secret, only a select few U.S. officials knew what was about to happen.

The location was a fortified compound in an affluent Pakistani town two hours outside Islamabad. The target was Osama bin Laden.

Intelligence officials discovered the compound in August while monitoring an al-Qaida courier. The CIA had been hunting that courier for years, ever since detainees told interrogators that the courier was so trusted by bin Laden that he might very well be living with the al-Qaida leader.

Nestled in an affluent neighborhood, the compound was surrounded by walls as high as 18 feet, topped with barbed wire. Two security gates guarded the only way in. A third-floor terrace was shielded by a seven-foot privacy wall. No phone lines or Internet cables ran to the property. The residents burned their garbage rather than put it out for collection. Intelligence officials believed the million-dollar compound was built five years ago to protect a major terrorist figure. The question was, who?

The CIA asked itself again and again who might be living behind those walls. Each time, they concluded it was almost certainly bin Laden.

President Barack Obama described the operation in broad strokes Sunday night. Details were provided in interviews with counterterrorism and intelligence authorities, senior administration officials and other U.S. officials. All spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive operation.

By mid-February, intelligence from multiple sources was clear enough that Obama wanted to "pursue an aggressive course of action," a senior administration official said. Over the next two and a half months, Obama led five meetings of the National Security Council focused solely on whether bin Laden was in that compound and, if so, how to get him, the official said.

Normally, the U.S. shares its counterterrorism intelligence widely with trusted allies in Britain, Canada, Australia and elsewhere. And the U.S. normally does not carry out ground operations inside Pakistan without collaboration with Pakistani intelligence. But this mission was too important and too secretive.

On April 29, Obama approved an operation to kill bin Laden. It was a mission that required surgical accuracy, even more precision than could be delivered by the government's sophisticated Predator drones.

To execute it, Obama tapped a small contingent of the Navy's elite SEAL Team Six, based in Virginia Beach, and put them under the command of CIA Director Leon Panetta, whose analysts monitored the compound from afar.

Panetta was directly in charge of the team, a U.S. official said, and his conference room was transformed into a command center.

Details of exactly how the raid unfolded remain murky. But the al-Qaida courier, his brother and one of bin Laden's sons were killed. No Americans were injured. Senior administration officials will only say that bin Laden "resisted." And then the man behind the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil died from an American bullet to his head.

It was mid-afternoon in Virginia when Panetta and his team received word that bin Laden was dead. Cheers and applause broke out across the conference room.

Source; http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/breaking-news/2011/may/02/8/choppers-elite-troops-swooped-obama-ar-1010445/

Pocomoke Council Moving Forward On New Police Building

Jennifer Shutt

Staff Writer

POCOMOKE CITY -- The Pocomoke City Police Department may soon get a new building.

At the upcoming council meeting, Mayor Bruce Morrison is expected to sign a resolution that would set in motion a $532,000 mortgage from Shore Bank to purchase a newer building on Market Street.

The police department has been in the same building since the mid-1960s, according to City Manager Russell Blake. The building was originally an armory built in the 1920s and later given to the city.

"The condition is such that it's beyond its economic life," said Blake of the 85-year-old building. "We have repaired it and repaired it and stretched its life probably beyond what we should have."

Could this be the new location for the Pocomoke City Police Dept.?

The chance to purchase the 7,600-square-foot building developed during the past four months. Blake said the city began looking for available and appropriate properties to house the 16 police officer unit about a year ago.

"I'm sure it's going to boost the employees' spirits by moving into a nice, professional facility," said Pocomoke City Police Chief J.D. Ervin.

Once the sale is finalized, the one-story building will need to undergo renovations to accommodate the police department.

"The inside would have to be divided properly," Ervin said. "We would have to figure out what offices we need and where they need to be located so everything is functional."

Blake said once the sale is final, the city will begin to work with an engineering firm to determine how to remodel the property to suit the police department's needs.

Other business

City officials are also expected to give second readings to two resolutions.

The first would amend the charter by bringing it up to date with current voting laws and regulations in Worcester County. Two sections of the charter that state in order to vote in city elections, residents must register at City Hall, are expected to be removed.

"The county has taken over the registration of voters for all municipal elections, so those paragraphs are no longer needed," Blake said.

The council is also scheduled to amend charter language on the employment of elected officials.

"If approved, it will stipulate that no elected official can be hired as a city employee unless it's at least one year after the expiration of their term or one year after they resign," Blake said.

Source; http://www.delmarvanow.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011105020312

Osama bin Laden Killed

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former President George W. Bush, who was in office at the time of the September 11 attacks and famously said he wanted Osama bin Laden dead or alive, on Sunday called the death of the al Qaeda leader a "momentous achievement."

President Barack Obama called Bush in Dallas at 9:04 p.m. central time to inform him that bin Laden was dead and they spoke for four minutes, a Bush spokesman said.

The September 11 attacks were a defining moment of Bush's presidency. He launched the war in Afghanistan and the hunt for bin Laden spanned the rest of his presidency.

"This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," Bush said in a statement.

"The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done," he said.

Source; http://www.wtkr.com/news/politics/sns-rt-politics-us-obama-btre7410ms-20110502,0,3329659.story

Arrests Made In Robbery and Shooting

Accomack County- Virginia
According to Major Todd Godwin, arrests have been made in the robbery and shooting of an individual who was located on Whites Neck Road near Parksley, Virginia on April 17, 2011.

 Donovan Robert Weathers  (18 yoa) of Accomac was arrested April 25 on charges of Robbery, Malicious Wounding, Abduction and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. Weathers is incarcerated in the Accomack County Jail with bond denied.

 Kentray Devon Bailey (18 yoa)  was arrested April 18 on charges of Robbery, Malicious Wounding, Abduction and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. Bailey is incarcerated in the Accomack County Jail with bond denied.

A 17 year old juvenile was also arrested on April 18 on charges of Robbery, Malicious Wounding, Abduction and Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony. He is currently being held in the Norfolk Detention Center.

The victim in this case is still undergoing medical treatment for the injuries he sustained during this incident.

Source;  shoredailynews.com

Tonight Live

President Obama is be on  televison tonight after 10:30.

Subject is to be announced.

NEW Attraction At Gumboro Mudbog

There was a shortage of spectators yesterday for the opening of the Gumboro 2011 Mudbog Season but not a shortage on vehicles for the mud competition. 

The sponsors of the Gumboro Mudbog have  added  something new this year.  It's a lifted short bus  riding on oversized tires.  This was a tremendous hit!  For $5.00 you can ride the bus on a new muddy track that is situated just as you enter the mudbog grounds.

During intermission yesterday the bus made it's way though the 200 foot muddy pit  some drivers struggle to get through!  No problem with those tires!

Pocomoke City Mayor and Council Meeting

AGENDA

POCOMOKE CITY MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

7:30 P.M., MONDAY, MAY 2, 2011

CITY HALL

1.                  Call to Order, Prayer, and Pledge of Allegiance.

2.                  Review and approval of minutes from meeting of April 11, 2011.

3.                  Review and approval of bills to be paid.

4.                  Presentation of plaque to former Mayor Michael McDermott in recognition of his six years of service as Mayor of Pocomoke City (2005-2011).

5.                  Authorize Mayor to sign Proclamation for Municipal Clerks Week.

6.                  Public Hearing on proposed 2012 Community Development Block Grant application and update on ongoing CDBG projects

7.                  Res. No. 445 to authorize submission of 2012 CDBG application to State DHCD.

8.                  Discuss letter from Assateague Peoples, Inc.  regarding use of the City tent for 19^th   Annual Pow Wow on

May 20-22, 2011.

9.                  Authorize Mayor to sign Memorandum of Agreement between Pocomoke City and VDOT regarding sewer service.

10.              Res. No. 446 to authorize Mayor to sign agreement with Shore Bank for acquisition of property for use as Police Station.

11.              Second Reading of Res. # 443 to amend Charter by deleting Sections C-32 and C-33 regarding voter registration for Municipal elections.

12.              Second Reading of Res.  #444 to amend the Charter by adding language to Section 23A regarding the employment of elected officials.

13.              City Attorney to present revised lease agreement between Pocomoke City and Bloosurf Broadband Co regarding the placement of antennas on City water towers.

14.              Authorize City Manager to request proposals/bids:

a.       Architectural Services for interior modifications for new Police Station.

b.      Electrical Services for new pedestals on docks.

c.       Construction of new restaurant adjacent to Delmarva Discovery Center.

15.              Set date for auction of surplus vehicle and equipment.

Comments from the Audience

Mayor and Council items.

Adjourn

AGENDAS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE

 TIME OF CONVENING.

TIME MACHINE

December, 1930

A 2,500 seat boxing arena was set to open on the Pocomoke Fairgrounds. Arena manager Henry W. Conant of Chincoteague said a series of exhibitions would be scheduled during the coming months. The opening night card would feature a bout between Eastern Shore fighter Danny Russell and an opponent from Portsmouth, Va.



January, 1931
(The Frederick Post)

Either backers of the sporting arena at Pocomoke City have an unlimited amount of cash or else they have a wonderful drawing power. Jack Dempsey is to appear in that town to referee a fight show for $2,000 or fifty percent of the gate. Dempsey will be paid off in cash and it may be the end of boxing in that section. Thousand dollar guarantees have been paid in Hagerstown but never has one man walked out with two thousand berries tucked away safely in his jeans.



February, 1931
(Cumberland Evening Times)

Former World's Heavyweight Champion Goes Over Big In Pocomoke City

Pocomoke City, Md. Feb. 4(AP)- More than 2000 Eastern Shore fight fans saw Jack Dempsey, former heavyweight champion, as he refereed two matches of a boxing card here Tuesday night. Dempsey attended a dinner as a guest of the Lions Club of Salisbury, and before he entered the ring he was kept busy autographing programs.

Words of Wisdom

To make half a kilo of  honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual  flowers

Unlikely Friends

187 East Performance - Bowden Racing Team Ready For Racing

Winter is behind us now and it's time again for mudbog racing!  The  Bowden Racing Team has been working really hard for the past few months to ready for tomorrows opening day of the Gumboro Mudbog. 

"The Grey Ghost" owned and driven by Lee and Lori Ann Sturgis have added a roll cage to their mud truck.
Lee Sturgis participated in the first ever mudbog sponsored by Checkered Flags Productions and the Salisbury Civic Center in January.

"All Night Soldier" driven by Patrick Long participated in the mudbog held at the Civic Center in January also.  He has installed a new roll cage.  Roll cages are just one of the requirements to qualify to race in some the various classes of racing at Gumboro.

"Short and Sassy" driven by Barry Wise will be racing with a larger engine this year.  I'll have updated photos on this truck and the new engine a little later. 

"In the Mix" with driver Johnnie Edwards will be racing with a new engine also this season.

And not to forget "Sod Buster".  The  old "Sod Buster" is transforming into a new and improved mud truck.  We're all looking forward to it being at the track in time for Crisfield races in May.  Stay tuned.......... 

Don't forget opening day for Gumboro mudracing is Saturday, April 30.  Gates open at 10:00 A.M.

Lets hope racing begins at the announced 1:00 P.M. 

It's been a long winter and the Bowden Racing Team is ready to rip through that mud!

Hope to see you there!

~MELSON POWER SHOW~

SAVE THESE DATES !

WON'T BE LONG BEFORE RACING ACTION IS BACK FOR THE 2011 RACING SEASON

ALL EVENTS HELD ON THE SAME DAY!

MORE TO COME..........

~The Royal Wedding Donut~

Better hurry!

Created in honor of the Royal couple, the Royal Wedding Donut will be available in participating U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants from April 24 through the wedding day, April 29. When developing the Royal Wedding Donut, Dunkin’ Donuts’ Executive Chef, Stan Frankenthaler and his culinary team kept both wedding traditions and the couple’s favorite flavors in mind. 

For that reason, the team couldn’t resist making a heart-shaped glazed donut that’s filled with jelly. The heart signifies the love between Prince William and Catherine, and the donut is filled with jelly to represent how their lives are to be ever-filled with happiness. In honor of the traditional white wedding gown, the donut is topped with white frosting, but adds a modern twist with the chocolate drizzle, in celebration of William’s love for chocolate.  

12th Annual Board Walkin' For Pets

The Worcester County Humane Society  Could  Use Your Help

 Lisa Capitelli

Staff Writer

Dog owners will have an opportunity this Saturday to take their four-legged friends for a stroll along the Ocean City Boardwalk, while helping to raise funds for the Worcester County Humane Society, during its 12th annual Board Walkin’ for Pets event.

The activities are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. at the southern end of the Boardwalk. Registration will take place in front of Harrison’s Harbor Watch restaurant.

Several contests will be held prior to the walk. Prizes will be awarded to the largest and smallest dogs, the canine that performs the best trick, the best dressed and the sloppiest kisser. A special prize will also be presented to the dog that most resembles its human owner.

Although the walk is for dogs, felines won’t be left out, said event co-orga- nizer Kelly Austin, secretary of the Worcester County Humane Society. Owners may submit a picture of their cat for the fifth annual Cutest Cat Photo Contest. The winner will receive a gift basket.

After the contests, owners and their dogs will be free to walk as far as they want on the Boardwalk.

Refreshment stops with drinks and snacks will be set up for dogs and owners near 12th and 27th streets.

For a $25 donation, walkers will receive a bandanna for their pooch. Participants who raise $50 will get a dog walk T-shirt and a bandanna, and walkers donating $100 or more will take home a tote bag, T-shirt and a bandanna. The walk is not only an enjoyable outing for the whole family, but the dogs seem to have a good time as well. Many people also come back year after year to participate, Austin said.

The person who pledges the most money will win the grand prize gift basket filled with goodies donated by local businesses. The youngster age 12 or younger who collects the most donations will also take home a gift basket.

Ocean City Dog Walk
2010

A total of 283 people registered to walk a dog during the 2010 Board Walkin’ for Pets fundraiser. Austin said approximately $22,000 was raised for the shelter last year, which was about half of the amount collected during the 2009 walk. She attributes the decline in funds to the economy.

“This is the largest fundraiser we do, so we’re hoping to do much better this year,” Austin said.

Funds generated through the walk go toward the general costs of running the no-kill nonprofit shelter. Those expenses include food bills, cat litter, veterinary care such as spaying or neutering, vaccines, heartworm and flea preventive, medicines, shots, cleaning supplies and maintenance. Approximately $100,000 is spent annually on veterinary costs and $700 weekly on pet food.

Austin said about a dozen shelter dogs will be walked by volunteers this year. That number is down from last year because, during the last two months, several dogs have been adopted. All shelter dogs will wear “adopt me” bandannas.

At this time, there are approximately 30 dogs and more than 100 cats staying at the shelter.

Tickets for the Worcester County Humane Society’s $10,000 cash raffle will be sold during walk registration. The cost is $20 per ticket. They can also be purchased at the shelter on Eagles Nest Road, off Route 611 in West Ocean City, or at Healing Hands Animal Hospital on East Main Street in Salisbury. The winning ticket will be drawn during the humane society’s annual dinner in November.

For more information, call 410-213-0146 or visit www.boardwalkinforpets.com.

Source; http://www.oceancitytoday.net/news/2011-04-29/Lifestyle/DOG_DAY_DELIGHT.html

Arrests Made As Appliances Are Returned

Nancy Drury Duncan

Staff Writer

ACCOMAC -- Two men who apparently tried to take a number of appliances from a used furniture store in Accomack County got more than they bargained for.

The heist ended with the store's owner holding a shotgun on the suspects until police arrived.

Storm Carter, 61, of Keller and Joseph Washington, 35, of Nelsonia, were found guilty of grand larceny in Accomack Circuit Court by Judge A. Bonwill Shockley.

The suspects were seen driving away from behind the store one night last June by store manager Jean Jones, who had dropped by.

She had her children in her car, she said. She said the truck and a flatbed trailer were filled with items belonging to the business, and she followed as it quickly drove away.

She called police and her father, the owner of the business, as she pursued the truck. Finally, the men stopped, walked back to her car and apologized to Jones, saying they would take the items back.

"They did go back," Jones said. "They started throwing thing off the truck and trailer really fast."

The items were described as a large steel air handler, used air conditioners and metal appliances as well as metal storage shelving that was bought to go inside the building to hold pallets of merchandise.

"They even took our appliance cart to load the stuff up with," she said.

Her father Andrew Willey, arrived as the men were throwing the items off the truck and trailer.

He testified that he went into his building and came out with a shotgun that he held on the men until police arrived.

"They did not attempt to leave?" defense attorney Terry Bliss asked Willey.

"Would you leave with a shotgun on you?" he asked back, causing the courtroom to erupt in laughter.

Bliss argued that her client thought it was a junk pile and didn't mean to steal. Garrett Dunham, attorney for Washington, said the crime was not grand larceny because it was hard to put a value on the items, which were not new.

"It is pretty hard to get around the fact that this was on someone else's property," said Shockley.

"Sorry guys, both guilty of grand larceny. If they thought it was junk, all they had to do was call up and ask if it was junk and offer to haul it away," she said.

Both Washington and Carter were allowed to remain free on bond until sentencing.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110427/ESN01/104270302/Appliances-returned-arrest-made?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Eastern Shore News|s