GUILTY In The Stabbing Of Johns Hopkins Researcher

John Alexander Wagner

By Tricia Bishop

After less than three hours of deliberation Wednesday, a Baltimore jury found John Alexander Wagner guilty of first-degree murder and armed robbery in the stabbing of Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn, who was attacked last year as he talked to his mother on a cellphone while walking home from Penn Station.

Wagner could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison at a hearing set for Oct. 21. His lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Gregory Fischer, said he plans to appeal the conviction.

"Mr. Wagner has adamantly maintained his innocence from the beginning," Fischer said.



Pitcairn's family members, who live out of state, wept as the verdict was announced. Aunts and uncles, as well as his parents and siblings, sat vigil throughout various portions of the trial, enduring as much testimony as they could. They declined to comment after the hearing, though Pitcairn's uncle called out, "Justice was served" as he left the courthouse.

They also praised the work of Assistant State's Attorney Josh Felsen after the hearing, telling him to "take care of the next family as well as you took care of us."

It was a bittersweet victory for the city prosecutor's office. Attorneys finally won a significant conviction against Wagner, who had repeatedly escaped serious punishment despite a lengthy criminal history, but it came at the cost of a promising young man's life.

"This victim … wasn't bothering anyone, he wasn't doing anything but walking to his home," Felsen told jurors during closing arguments Wednesday.

Pitcairn was two days shy of his 24th birthday on Sunday, July 25, 2010, the day he was killed. He spent the weekend with his two sisters in New York City for an early birthday celebration, then took a Bolt bus back to Baltimore, where he performed cancer research.

But as he walked along the 2600 block of St. Paul St. talking to his mother on his cellphone, he was targeted by Wagner and his girlfriend, Lavelva Merritt — who has pleaded guilty to her role in the killing and testified for the prosecution last week. They robbed Pitcairn, stabbed him and left him to die on the sidewalk.

Pitcairn's mother, meanwhile, frantically tried to find help from her home inFlorida after hearing the commotion. Gwen Pitcairn tearfully told jurors last week at the trial's opening that she pleaded for her son's safety to the voices demanding money from her son, a thousand miles away in Baltimore.

The murder was a focus of last year's Baltimore state's attorney race and helped challenger Gregg L. Bernstein unseat longtime incumbent Patricia A. Jessamy.

Bernstein held a campaign news conference on what would have been Pitcairn's birthday, railing against Jessamy's failure to keep violent repeat offenders off the streets.

"If the state's attorney had done her job ... Stephen Pitcairn might still be alive today," Bernstein said at the time, calling the murder "not just senseless, but preventable."

He said in a telephone interview Wednesday that his office was "extremely gratified" by the jury's verdict.




Joshua Eicher, part of a street-cleaning crew with the Charles Village Community Benefits District, pauses from his work to look at flowers and birthday cake left at a makeshift memorial in the 2600 block of St. Paul St. for Stephen Pitcairn. (Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun / July 27, 2010)

"The defendant represents one of the focal points and objectives of our office, which is to successfully prosecute repeat violent offenders and ensure that they are incarcerated for substantial periods of time so that they do not continue to go through this revolving door and prey upon the citizens of Baltimore," Bernstein said.

Wagner, 38, has previous convictions for assault, theft and violating probation, though he was frequently allowed to remain free. And in at least one instance, prosecutors dropped robbery charges against him despite surveillance video evidence.

Merritt, 25, has at least five convictions on her record, most for drug offenses.

The case against Wagner largely relied upon her cooperation. Testifying against Wagner, she outlined a chilling scenario in which the couple set out looking for someone to rob. They came up behind Pitcairn and grabbed him, demanding money.

Wagner stabbed Pitcairn, and Merritt punched him after he fell, according to testimony. They took his iPhone and his wallet, a Christmas gift from his mother.

On the witness stand last week, Merritt said her boyfriend regretted the act. "All that over a phone," he reportedly said. "I didn't mean to do it."

Wagner's attorney argued throughout the weeklong trial that someone else was responsible for the murder, but the jury rejected that idea. They began deliberating about 3:45 p.m. and reached a verdict by 6:30 p.m.

They asked once to review video footage of two people running from the scene, and refused an offer to leave for the day shortly before 6 p.m.

"They want to stay," Baltimore Circuit Judge Charles J. Peters told attorneys. Within the hour, they had a verdict.

"It is clear, given the length of their deliberations, that they understood and accepted what we presented and, more importantly, what the evidence shows," Bernstein said afterward.

Peters ordered Wagner to stay in shackles as the decision was announced, and the jurors, polled one by one, affirmed the guilty findings.

Lavelva Merritt

Wagner was convicted of felony first-degree murder, which means Pitcairn's death occurred during the robbery, as well as conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon and the robbery itself. He could be sentenced to an additional 40 years for the two robbery convictions.

He was acquitted of premeditated murder.

Merritt will likely be sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy and robbery convictions under her plea deal.

The cases against the two defendants were filed and prosecuted in just over a year, representing another of Bernstein's goals to "more quickly resolve all criminal cases" with the cooperation of the courts.

"It's not only a function of justice delayed is justice denied, [but also that] cases do not get better with age, they get worse," he said.

Source;  http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-wagner-trial-closes-20110817,0,114771.story

Delmarva's Got Talent- Looking For Competition

3rd Annual

Delmarva's Got Talent Competition

AT

The MarVa Theater

Seeking:

Musicians, singers, dancers, and other performers are wanted to compete in the third annual talent contest to be held at the

Mar-Va Theater on

Sept. 23, 24, 30, & Oct. 1.

First place is $500.
Second place is $200.
Third place is $100.
Entry fee is $25.

 

To enter, contact Matt Bogdan at 443-235-3272 or email oceancityhappyme@aol.com

or

 emily@marvatheater.com.

 

TIME MACHINE Preview ... 1909 Properties For Sale, And A Land Mystery To The South Of Pocomoke City!

This Sunday on The Pocomoke Public Eye... Take a look at local property listings from 100+ years ago, and a 1909 news item tells of the mystery of a large fertile land area nearby that was never claimed. Plus from ACROSS THE USA.. a 1906 news description of amazing happenings when Houdini visited a prison.


Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? It can be just a line or two or more if you wish. Your name won't be used unless you ask that it be. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

Drugs Found In Shopping Cart

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "pushing drugs".  Don't they push drugs in Berlin anymore?   So where is Mr. Henry now?

POCOMOKE CITY — Police say a man pushing a shopping cart on a downtown street had baggies of drugs in it wrapped for sale.

Pocomoke City police said they arrested Donzel Haywood Henry, 47, of Berlin in the incident, charging him with possession and distribution of marijuana and cocaine. Police saw him Aug. 14, pushing a Wal-Mart shopping cart on Fourth Street, near Maple Street. They stopped him and initially charged him with theft of the cart from the store, and then found six small bags of marijuana and 29 small bags of crack cocaine, police said.

Henry was initially held on $15,000 bond.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110817/NEWS01/110817016/POCOMOKE-CITY-Drugs-found-shopping-cart?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|frontpage

Federalsburg Cemetary Vandalized

I remember this beautiful cemetary very well from my childhood days of living in Federalsburg.  I visited there some months ago and it still carries the peacefulness it always did many years ago.  What a shame people have nothing better to do.  The residents of this quiet town are extremely upset and they have every right to be.  If I am correct the Chief of Police of Federalsburg grew up there and I know the citizens feel comfident that he WILL find those responsible for this horrible incident.

Photo By Abby Andrews



By ABBY ANDREWS Staff Writer

FEDERALSBURG For the second time in as many weeks, a Caroline County graveyard was vandalized, Federalsburg police reported.

Police said 31 headstones and monuments, some dating back to the 1800s, scattered throughout the east section of the Hillcrest Cemetery on Bloomingdale Avenue were toppled sometime between 3 p.m. Monday and 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.


Police have no suspects at the time, and are asking for the public's help. Anyone with information should call the Federalsburg Police Department at 410-754-8966. All information will be kept confidential.


Police said they have contacted the Greensboro Police Department, who are investigating a similar incident in an abandoned Methodist cemetery that happened overnight between Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, but so far there is no information indicating the acts are related.


Norman Bradley, a member of the Hillcrest Cemetery committee, said he discovered the damage Tuesday morning, when he and his dog arrived for their daily walk through the grounds.


Bradley said he saw two overturned tombstones as soon as he parked his car, and then noticed two more, which was when he called the town police.


"It's a shame," Bradley said. "It's a shame for the people buried there, for the Town of Federalsburg and for the cemetery."


A 30-year member of the committee, Bradley said this is only the second time he can remember such widespread vandalism in the cemetery. The other time was 22 years ago.


"Maybe a couple of times in the last 15 years or so, we've had one or two headstones knocked over, but not 31," Bradley said.


Bradley said he thought most of the damaged monuments and headstones were very old, though one marked a grave that was just dug in March.


The committee that oversees the privately owned cemetery has insurance, Bradley said, but he did not know if it covered repairs. He said an adjuster was coming out to do an estimate.


Among the cemetery's well-known graves is that of Maryland Court of Appeals Judge Marvin H. Smith.


Source;  http://www.stardem.com/news/local_news/article_9b46eee8-8782-56c1-95d8-e3e025c8efd8.html

'Wounded Warriors' - Gumboro Mud Bog

Virginia State Police and DEA Office Still Searching For Drug Dealer

Jonathan Manwell Johnson

Chesapeake -- The Virginia State Police, the Eastern Shore Drug Task Force, and the DEA's Norfolk Office are currently searching for a notorious drug dealer wanted on a federal warrant stemming from a multi-agency investigation in Northampton County on Virginia's Eastern Shore.

Jonathan Manwell Johnson, 28, is a black male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, and 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. His last known address was in the 2700 block of Arlington Road in Northampton County. Johnson has family in the Philadelphia area, and may flee there to avoid prosecution.

Johnson is known to carry firearms and has a violent criminal history. He should be considered armed and dangerous. He is wanted for conspiracy to distribute more than 5 kilos of cocaine.

A reward is being offered for information resulting in the arrest of Johnson.

Anyone with information on this subject is asked to contact the following agencies. Anonymous tips are welcome.

Virginia State Police: 1-800-582-8350 Toll-free in Virginia

Eastern Shore Task Force: 757-414-0746

Northampton County Sheriff's Office: 757-678-0458

Accomack County Sheriff's Office: 757-787-1131

Source; http://www.wtkr.com/news/wtkr-cocaine-charge-vsp-search,0,7733491.story

Smartphone Users Angered Over Facebook Feature

Some smartphone users are outraged over a Facebook feature that automatically imports personal phone numbers on their pages.

Over the past few days, Facebook users have been circulating messages letting people know that if their Facebook account is synced to a smartphone, phone numbers will then be posted in the user's account.

According to Facebook, the feature is not new. Facebook has posted a disclaimer on its site which says: "Rumors claiming that your phone contacts are visible to everyone on Facebook are false. Our Contacts list, formerly called Phonebook, has existed for a long time. The phone numbers listed there were either added by your friends themselves and made visible to you, or you have previously synced your phone contacts with Facebook. Just like on your phone, only you can see these numbers."

Facebook says only the account user can view the phone numbers. Many people don't feel the numbers are safe. They also worry about the growing number of hacking incidents that are taking place on Facebook.

"I don't want my number on anybody's page," said Latiqueka Cawley.

"I think it just put us in a vulnerable spot," said Facebook user Kim Hollett.

"I don't think Facebook snuck it in. I think people now are more concerned about what information is out there and they don't really understand when they're setting permissions or accepting terms of service what actually is going on," said John Dolinar.

Dolinar is the information security manager at Cuyahoga County Community College. He says just like other apps and games you may download on your phone, users must be careful to read the fine print.

"You really have to be careful on the phone and the apps you install. There are lot of other apps that will try to sync your contacts up to someone onto the internet or for information, marketing, whatever."

In order to erase the phone numbers from your Facebook account, go to "Account," click on "Edit Friends" and then go to "Contacts." From there, click on "Contacts" and then go to "This Page."

Follow the directions on the Facebook page to disable the sync feature on your phone and then click "Remove."

Source;  http://www.wtkr.com/news/wjw-facebook-phone-numbers-revealed-smartphones-txt,0,1054929.story

~2011 Blessing of the Combines~

Celebrating Worcester County's Agricultural Heritage

13th Annual

BLESSING OF THE COMBINES

What a way to honor the farmers of Worcester County!

My husband has been a volunteer for the past few years and I had never attended- even after living in Worcester County just about all my life.  This event is one that everyone should see.

Some photos of the parade..........

Have you ever power washed a combine?  Well, these farmers do before they enter them into the parade!
According to a Worcester County Farmer, Virgil Shockley, some combines are 14 feet long and can weigh (when loaded) up to 35,000 pounds!

 Combine-Byron Hauck

State's Attorney Beau Oglesby

Combine - Virgil Shockley

Combine- Fred Holloway

Congressman Andy Harris
Combine-Clayville Farms

Senator Jim Mathias
Combine-Roger Richardson Farms

Watson Powell

Combine-Powell Farms

Combine- David Shockley
Indian Town Farms

LOTS of hard work goes into planning for this wonderful day and I don't remember when I have ever seen so many happy people and excited children!

 

Combine- William Figgs

"It's great for the kids, because they see the combines out in the field when driving by and this way they get up close and personal with them."

(Farmer Virgil Shockley)

So many vendors!

Lots of great food available.

Ahhh..... A cooling station.

Warm temperatures with low humidity on this day

so the cooling station wasn't in high demand.

I never knew so many beatiful items could be made

with duct tape!  This young lady and her friends

did a wonderful job with their creations.

Activities for every child and even a petting zoo!

These little furry animals really got the attention from big

and little kids.

Even though the Blessing of the Combines

has celebrated its 13th year the hard work

that goes into making this day a success

is with the helping hands of the many volunteers.

This is just two of the many volunteers.

What a wonderful way to celebrate and  receive a true appreciation for the farmers of Worcester County AND

 all farmers across America.  Even with todays modern equipment their job is not easy.

Just think.......... to enjoy all of this you don't even have to like your vegetables.

Celebrate "Pirate Day"

Virginia Governor Will Not STOP Execution

Published : Friday, 12 Aug 2011

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Gov. Bob McDonnell said Friday he will not stop next week's execution of a man who was convicted of raping and killing an elderly Williamsburg woman.

McDonnell's action leaves the U.S. Supreme Court as the only hope for Jerry Terrell Jackson, 30, who is to die by injection Thursday at Greensville Correctional Center.

"After conferring with the appropriate parties, as well as thoroughly reviewing the clemency petition and the judicial opinions in this case, I find no compelling reason to set aside the sentence of the jury, imposed and affirmed by the courts," McDonnell said.

Jackson was convicted of the 2001 murder of 88-year-old Ruth Phillips.

His lawyers argue the jury was not given a complete picture of the abuse he suffered as a child, and that evidence of abuse could have convinced jurors to spare Jackson's life.

"We respect the governor's decision, but we are profoundly disappointed that he chose not to intervene in this instance," said Josh Toll, a Washington attorney who is helping represent Jackson.

Jackson would be the first Virginia inmate to die using a new drug protocol that replaces the sedative sodium thiopental with pentobarbital in the three-drug cocktail. A nationwide shortage of sodium thiopental forced many states to substitute pentobarbital, but some have questioned its use. Courts have ruled that the change in drugs is not significant enough to postpone executions.

Jackson's attorneys have argued that his trial attorneys failed to present evidence of his extreme abuse as a child. A federal judge agreed and ordered a new sentencing hearing for Jackson last year, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that hearing on a technicality in April.

Jackson admitted to police that he broke into Ruth Phillips' apartment Aug. 26, 2001, and that he put a pillow over her face to try to make her pass out once she awoke and caught him rummaging through her purse. He told police he left in Phillips' car and used the $60 to buy marijuana. He said he had not intended to kill Phillips.

At trial, Jackson said he lied to police and that an accomplice smothered Phillips. He denied raping Phillips, but prosecutors presented pubic hairs matching Jackson's DNA that were found around her body. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2003.

Phillips, a widow for 30 years, worked as a seamstress making slip covers and draperies. 

Source;  http://www.wavy.com/dpp/news/virginia/virginia-governor-won%27t-stop-execution

State Urges Pertussin Shots For Those Attending School

NORFOLK, Va. (AP)- Virginia health and school officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated for whooping cough before the start of school.


There had been 189 cases of whooping cough statewide as of June 30, compared to 87 cases during the same period in 2010.


Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes severe coughing fits. It's among the required vaccinations for kindergarten students.


Sixth graders also must have the Tdap booster shot if it's been at least five years since their last dose.


Norfolk public health nurse supervisor Debra Evans-Godfrey said that every year typically hundreds of students are held back on the first day of school because they haven't had their Tdap shot.

Source;  shoredailynews.com

Obama Buys new $1.1 million bus, Plus Another Just like it For The Secret Service Equal $2.2 million

 YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is traveling the Midwest on a new $1.1 million bus purchased by the Secret Service, an impenetrable-looking conveyance the size of a cross-country Greyhound, painted all in black, with dark tinted windows and flashing red and blue lights.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan emphasized that the bus wasn't purchased solely for the president and would be used for other dignitaries in the future. He said the agency has not previously had buses in its fleet and was overdue to get some since it's had to protect politicians traveling by bus for decades.

President Barack Obama's bus drives past corn fields to Lower Hannah's Bend Park, Monday in Cannon Falls, Minn., during his three-day economic bus tour. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Read the article: Obama traveling Midwest on new $1.1 million bus

In the past, the service has had to lease buses and retrofit them for that purpose.
Donovan said two buses were purchased and one is being used by Obama as he travels through Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. Both will be used by other officeholders and candidates.
Donovan declined to comment on the buses’ design or capability.

Source: INFORUM

Louisiana man decapitated disabled son, 7

WARNING THIS IS NOT FOR THE FAINT AT HEART!!

This without a doubt the most disturbing thing that I have read in a very long time. We live among some very sick individuals in this world. 

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana man is accused of bludgeoning, decapitating and dismembering his disabled 7-year-old son and leaving the boy's head near the street so the child's mother would see it — a killing that brought seasoned police officers to tears, authorities said Monday.
Jeremiah Lee Wright, 30, of Thibodaux waived his right to an attorney and confessed to killing Jori Lirette within 30 minutes of being brought to the police station Sunday, Police Chief Scott Silverii said. He said Wright was booked with first-degree murder and held in lieu of $5 million bond

He was in isolation, Silverii said during a Monday afternoon news conference. The department spokesman, Detective Ricky Ross, said he does not believe Wright has an attorney.

Flowers, balloons and stuffed animals were left Monday outside the house where Jori died.

“He was maybe the best thing that ever happened to me,” his mother, Jesslyn Lirette, said at the news conference.

A preliminary autopsy found the boy was bludgeoned, decapitated and dismembered, Silverii said. Whatever hit him caused “excessive bleeding in the head,” he said.

Silverii said the motive was unclear, though Wright told police “that he'd gotten to the point where he was tired of taking care” of the boy, who had cerebral palsy and heart problems, needed a feeding tube, had limited speech and was in a wheelchair.

“He said when he put his head out by the side of the road it was so the mother would see it when she came by,” Silverii said. He said Wright's only explanation for doing so was “just that he wanted her to feel stupid when she saw the head.”

The police chief said Jori's feet and one hand also were cut off, recovered with the body in several white plastic garbage bags.

The slaying was the first in Thibodaux since 2008.
Silverii said the boy apparently was decapitated over the kitchen sink, which was sent to the Louisiana State Police crime lab along with a box of tools found nearby. Wright told investigators he began killing the boy about 30 minutes after Lirette had left Sunday to repair her pickup truck so she could take Jori to a doctor on Tuesday.

Police had been called to the house last month when the couple had an argument — possibly about money — though neither person brought charges, Ross said. The police chief said Wright had been arrested a few times previously, though he was never charged with violent crimes. Wright served 10 days for theft in 2005.

Lirette, 27, told The Daily Comet of Thibodaux that she and Wright had been together for 10 years, but that she had planned for some time to leave him.

“I didn't get out fast enough,” she said.

Mark Chatagnier, a friend of Wright's, told the newspaper that Wright was unemployed and that Lirette often left him to care for Jori, even when she was not working.

“She would take off and totally expect Jerry to do everything,” Chatagnier said.
Lirette denied that. She said she cared for another disabled person to pay household bills and was still around to care for her son, who had been born three months premature, could say only a few words and weighed no more than 50 pounds when he died.

“He was my star. No matter what people think or say, he was always top priority in my life,” Lirette said through tears during the news conference. “I've done everything I can for him.”

When Lirette returned from fixing the truck, she found her home blocked by police tape.
When she identified herself, Silverii had a captain and Ross, who was a minister for 12 years and remains a lay pastor, tell her what happened.

“These are experienced men. They came out of there in tears. Just absolutely in tears,” Silverii said.
Grief counselors from the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office also spent time with her, he said.

South Thibodaux Elementary School, where Jori was a second-grader, was “a very somber place” Monday, said Floyd Benoit, spokesman for the Lafourche Parish school system. Counselors were on hand there and at other schools where people knew Jori, he said.

The school has 560 students, including 84 second-graders and 18 in special education across all grades, he said.

Jori had attended South Thibodaux since pre-kindergarten, principal Diane Smith said. “Everyone loved him. Even though he could not express in words his feelings to us, he did it with his smile,” she said.
Lirette, who began her statement with a plea for privacy, ended with a message to her son:

"In Heaven I believe you're a beautiful star and you will always shine bright inside my heart, inside everybody's heart. If I could go back and change yesterday, I would. But I can't.

“You will be missed and loved by everyone and we will pray every day in your honor. Love you, Mom.”

• Memorial for the boy 

Source: INFOURM

Kathy Mathias Passes Away

Sympathy is extended to the family of Senator Jim Mathias.
Their beloved Kathy passed away earlier this afternoon.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Use Caution When Swimming.

A rare infection associated with a type of amoeba that lives in stagnant water and travels up the sinuses and infects the brain, almost always causing meningitis, has been reported in a Virginia person.

The free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri proliferates in stagnant freshwater lakes, ponds, streams and rivers when temperatures climb into the 80s, health officials said in an advisory issued Saturday about safe swimming practices.

"Sadly, we have had a Naegleria infection in Virginia this summer," said Dr. Keri Hall, state epidemiologist at the Virginia Department of Health, in a statement.

"It's important that people be aware of … safe swimming messages," Hall said.

Naegleria fowleri, sometimes called a "brain-eating amoeba," travels up the nose to the brain where it destroys the brain tissue.

For privacy reasons, the health department does not disclose details on individual cases but, this month, officials confirmed a case of meningitis in a person in the Central Health Region of Virginia, which includes the Richmond area.

The aunt of a 9-year-old Henrico County boy who died Aug. 5 from meningitis said waterborne-illness was mentioned as a possible cause of the illness.

"The doctor described it to us as such a slight chance that they didn't even think it would be possible," said Bonnie Strickland, aunt of Christian Alexander Strickland.

The week before Christian died from meningitis, he was his usual active self and had attended a fishing camp, his aunt said.

In general, meningitis can be caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites, Hall said last week.

Meningitis is inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.

Only 32 Naegleria fowleri infections were reported in the U.S. from 2001 to 2010 and, before this summer, the most recent case in Virginia was in 1969, state health officials said.

Symptoms of infection may not begin until a week or more after swimming.

To avoid waterborne illness or contaminating swimming waters, health officials advise:

• Don't swim when you have diarrhea.

• Don't swallow pool, lake, pond or river water.

• Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before and after swimming.

• Wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom or changing diapers.

• Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often.

• Change diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside or beachside.

• Avoid swimming, diving or other activities in obviously stagnant freshwater bodies when temperatures are high and water levels are low.

• Hold your nose or wear nose plugs when underwater or when diving or swimming in hot, shallow freshwater bodies.

Source; http://www2.timesdispatch.com/lifestyles/news/2011/aug/13/3/state-reports-rare-water-borne-illness-ar-1236776/

New Medical Facility Is Open In Pocomoke

Your Doc's In,  located on Route 13 South in Pocomoke City,  has been open for business for a few weeks.

Convenient hours, convenient services and non-appointment care!
For more info go to: www.yourdocsin.com 

Obama: "Islam Has Always Been Part Of Our American Family"

This is a disgrace for the U.S. and an insult to all those, and their families that were lost on 9-11.



At the Iftar dinner, a White House sponsored Ramadan event, President Obama says "Islam has always been part of our American family." Obama also says "this has been especially true over the past 10 years," referring to the attacks on September 11, 2001. Here's what he said:

 

"This evening reminds us of both the timeless teachings of a great religion and the enduring strengths of a great nation. Like so many faiths, Islam has always been part of our American family, and Muslim Americans have long contributed to the strength and character of our country, in all walks of life. This has been especially true over the past 10 years."

"In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans."

U.S. Appeals Court Rules Against Obama's Health Care Law

A federal appeals court in Atlanta ruled Friday that a provision in President Obama's health care law requiring citizens to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, but the court didn't strike down the rest of the law.

The decision is a major setback for the White House, which had appealed a ruling by a lower court judge who struck down the entire law in January. But given that another appeals court, in Cincinnati, has upheld the law, it is increasingly clear that the Supreme Court will have the final say.

"We strongly disagree with this decision and we are confident it will not stand," White House spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement.

On Friday, the divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with 26 states that filed a lawsuit to block Obama's signature domestic initiative. The panel said that Congress exceeded its constitutional authority by requiring Americans to buy insurance or face penalties.

"This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority," the panel said in the majority opinion.

The majority also said that a basic objective of the law is to "make health insurance coverage accessible and thereby to reduce the number of uninsured persons." Without the individual mandate, the majority said, the law "retains many other provisions that help to accomplish some of the same objectives as the individual mandate."

The decision is a review of a sweeping ruling by a Florida judge, who not only struck down a requirement that nearly all Americans carry health insurance, but he also threw out other provisions ranging from Medicare discounts for some seniors to a change that allows adult children up to age 26 to remain on their parents' coverage.

The states urged the 11th Circuit to uphold U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson's ruling, saying in a court filing that letting the law stand would set a troubling precedent that "would imperil individual liberty, render Congress's other enumerated powers superfluous, and allow Congress to usurp the general police power reserved to the states."

The Justice Department countered that Congress had the power to require most people to buy health insurance or face tax penalties because Congress has the authority to regulate interstate business. It said the legislative branch was exercising its "quintessential" rights when it adopted the new law.

During oral arguments in June, the three-judge panel repeatedly raised questions about the overhaul and expressed unease with the insurance requirement. Each of the three worried aloud if upholding the landmark law could open the door to Congress adopting other sweeping economic mandates.

The arguments unfolded in what's considered one of the nation's most conservative appeals courts. But the randomly selected panel represents different judicial perspectives. None of the three is considered either a stalwart conservative or an unfaltering liberal.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the only private group to join the 26 states in the lawsuit, cheered the decision.

"Small-business owners across the country have been vindicated by the 11th Circuit's ruling that the individual mandate in the health-care law is unconstitutional," said Karen Harned, executive director of the group's legal center.

"The court reaffirmed what small businesses already knew - there are limits to Congress' power. And the individual mandate, which compels every American to buy health insurance or pay a fine, is a bridge too far," she said.

VIA: FoxNews

Comment From A Reader

One of our readers brings to view alot of good points concerning the recent drug busts and the every growing 'War On Drugs".

I'm a bit annoyed after thinking all this over.

 

  Okay-so they've arrested all these (including the "street" dealers in PC) and the original 5 or so were charged federally and given like 20 years in prison.  Now these dumb a**, trouble causing street dealers will (if we are lucky) given hardly any time in prison. 

From their previous histories they will be right back out dealing with new traffickers taking over the lead. 

 

This so called War on Drugs we've heard about for years now is not working because drug usage and the crime that goes along with it has increased dramatically. 

 

What annoys me is these ridiculously high sentences for the main players and the ridiculously low sentences for the street dealers. 

 

What's totally obvious is the leaders have some brains about them:  West a talented mechanic, Planter a talent for business and Galloway an author.  

 

Maybe if the officials concentrated MORE on the street dealers these big guys would have few less sellers out there. 

 

 Maybe if the main players were given a more sensible sentence and just like Michael Vick did w/dog fighting got out there and spoke the evils of drug dealing and usage some good would come? 

 

  What the Government is doing NOW is a complete failure.

 

After rethinking this all over I hate to give up on the orginal ones arrested because I really believe they could do some good with these young hoodlums and I think it's a hugh waste to keep them in prison for 20 years when someone is going to come right back in and replace them using the same ones to sell it on the streets.