Worcester County Library ~ STORY TIME

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Pit Bull Awareness Month

October 27th is National Pit Bull Awareness Day, but the MSPCA participates in this important campaign all month long! 

Visit your local MSPCA adoption center to learn more about Pit Bull adoption and to meet the animals who are waiting for their forever families.

Judge & Sprout enjoying the beach!
Photo jmmb

For more information go here

                                                                        




                                                          

Change Maryland On Raising State Debt Limit

In response to a state panel voting to raise Maryland's debt limit Monday, Change Maryland Chairman Larry Hogan issued the following statement today:

"The O'Malley Administration proved to everyone that with more revenues, come more spending.  In their view, a debt-induced spending binge will somehow create thousands of jobs, the estimates of which are pulled out of thin air.  This spending will do nothing for struggling Marylanders looking for work, nor will it improve our state's dismal record in job creation."

Noting that Comptroller Peter Franchot was the lone dissenter in the Capital Debt Affordability Committee's 4 to 1 vote, which raised debt spending to $1.1 billion, Hogan said the split within the Democratic Party's governing machine shows the arrogance of the current Administration.

"When our top elected official in charge of state revenue collections sounds the alarm about out of control spending, and the snooze button is hit yet again, it shows the current regime just doesn't get it," Hogan added.

The most recent 2012 National Governor's Association report on state budgets shows Maryland's general fund spending has increased 15.5%, three times the national average, and the highest in the region between fiscal years 2011 and 2013.

Taxes and fees have been raised 24 times since 2007, removing an additional $2.4 billion annually from the state economy.

"We have a spend first, ask questions later approach to governing," said Hogan.  "Far from moving Maryland forward, O'Malley's record tax hikes, record spending and more debt has thrown us into reverse and put our state in a ditch."

###

Background:

Maryland Reporter:

http://marylandreporter.com/2012/10/02/1-1-billion-state-debt-limit-approved-for-2014-despite-franchot-objections/

Annual Fall Festival ~ Costume Contest

Article Featuring Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin D. Sewell

Staff Writer Elaine Bean has done such a wonderful job writing about Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin D. Sewell. 

Written by

Elaine Bean

Pocomoke chief pens real-life crime saga

POCOMOKE CITY — The 2012 murder count to date: Baltimore 163, Pocomoke City 0.

The quiet little town of Pocomoke City is a long way from the crime-infested streets of inner-city Baltimore.

Pocomoke Police Chief Kelvin Sewell was knee-deep in murders, drug deals and violent crimes for more than 22 years as a Baltimore City police detective.

“On one of my first days on the job in Pocomoke, a woman waved to me on the street,” he recalled. “I turned around to see who she was waving at. It was me. I wasn’t used to that.”

Sewell’s book, “Why Do We Kill?: The Pathology of Murder in Baltimore,” covers 11 of his most notorious and often horrific cases as a Baltimore City detective.

“It was a therapeutic type thing to write about the cases,” he said.

Reading about the crimes that Sewell handled is disturbing. There are scenes straight out of HBO’s “The Wire,” but these cases are factually true. A teen shoots a woman he chooses at random as target practice. A 17-year-old girl is stabbed to death over a cell phone, and the killer calmly eats her unfinished sandwich. Gang members stab a petty drug dealer 22 times, then torch his body to destroy evidence.

Pocomoke is a big change for Sewell, who retired from Baltimore City police after years of dealing with hard-core criminals in homicide, narcotics and internal affairs. He moved his family to Pocomoke in November 2010 and took over as police chief in December 2011.
After his retirement, Sewell said he “wanted to stay in law enforcement, but wanted to move to a smaller town, and Pocomoke was what I was looking for. It’s a quiet town, a nice place to retire.”

The police chief’s oldest daughter graduated from UMES and is now in her first year of law school. His younger daughter is a second-year student at UMES. Wife Rhonda was a registered nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 22 years, and now works at Atlantic General Hospital.

Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin Sewell with wife Rhonda
jmmb Photo

The violence in Baltimore was something Sewell handled day to day.

“Because it’s Baltimore, you kind of accept it, because that’s the way it was there. You get used to it.” He added, “It makes you appreciate a place like Pocomoke City.”

Sewell’s book has been well received, not only in the United States but also in the United Kingdom, where shows like “The Wire” are popular. Sewell made a trip to Scotland to promote the book, and stayed with his wife in a medieval castle.

The book was co-authored by Stephen Janis, an investigative producer for WBFF-TV in Baltimore and formerly a criminal reporter for the Baltimore Examiner newspaper.

photo/Kathy Ben
February 2012

“The point of the book was to put into words what (Sewell) was experiencing,” he said. “We wanted to give an insider’s perspective, what goes through the minds of the detectives who handle these cases.”

Currently, a TV series based on the book is in development.

“We’re experimenting with scripts,” Janis said.

Chief Sewell said there was one particular case “that threw me back. A mother buried her kid in a grave in Druid Hill Park. The baby was inside a back pack similar to the one my daughter had. She was on her way to school with the back pack on, and I sat in kitchen and watched her go out the door. It was the same Nike back pack that the baby was buried in.”

Source:


**No date has been set for the veiwing of the series based on the book "Why Do We Kill?".  To view the "Why Do We Kill?" Trailer -Video  OR CASE FILE 1: The Bounty Hunters

I will keep you posted.  In the meantime read the book!  As an average citizen you have NO idea as to what violence and crime is all about!  jmmb

Every Dog Counts ~ Adopt a Shelter Dog

ADOPT  - DON'T SHOP !!

 For facts and fun about animals anytime: ASPCA

Some websites and facebook pages to find the "forever friend" you are looking for.



CoCo



SPCA Eastern Shore

SPCA Eastern Shore Virginia

DASH Rescue
DASH Rescue- Facebook

NASA Wallops, VA. ~ Antares Rocket Moves To Launch Pad For Testing

NASA Photo

Orbital Sciences Corp. rolled the first stage of its Antares rocket to a Virginia launch pad Monday as the company prepares for a hold-down test of the vehicle's Russian-built engines ahead of the first Antares launch.

The milestone moves Orbital closer to beginning commercial cargo services to the International Space Station next year.

  The Antares first stage, designed by Yuzhnoye and built by Yuzhmash in Ukraine, moved one mile from its hangar to pad 0A at Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore.   The rollout was delayed from last week due to a technical issue with the rocket's transporter, according to Orbital.   Officials say the hotfire will occur about four or five weeks following integration and checkout of the Antares first stage with the launch pad's liquid fueling systems.   The first stage's two AJ26 engines will ignite for about 30 seconds during the hold-down firing, allowing engineers to check the launch pad's integrity.   The AJ26 engines are provided by Aerojet, which converted Russian NK-33 engines into an AJ26 engine by removing some harnessing, adding U.S. electronics, qualifying it for U.S. propellants, and modifying the system to gimbal for steering.  

NASA Photo

Kept in storage for four decades, the NK-33 engines were originally designed and built in the 1960s and 1970s for the ill-fated Soviet N1 moon rocket.   If all goes according to plan, the first Antares launch could occur about one month after the hotfire and before the end of 2012, according to Orbital.   The Antares launch team plans to load the first stage with kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants during several "wet dress rehearsal" exercises over the next few weeks, testing the launch pad's fueling system before the hotfire.   The propellant storage and handling system ran into delays during the construction and certification process, keeping Orbital from starting prelaunch testing of the Antares rocket.   The launch pad is owned by the Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority, a state agency created in 1995. The facility lies on NASA property.   Virginia and Maryland state governments later partnered to form the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, or MARS, to lure launch business to Wallops Island.

NASA Photo

Orbital blamed the launch pad problems on the state-run spaceport.

No other Wallops launch pad or Orbital Sciences rocket uses large liquid propellant systems.

 "MARS has completed construction and testing operations on its launch complex at Wallops Island, the first all-new large-scale liquid-fuel launch site to be built in the U.S. in decades," said David Thompson, Orbital's president and CEO.

"Accordingly, our pad operations are commencing immediately in preparation for an important series of ground and flight tests of our Antares medium-class launch vehicle over the next few months."   NASA gave approval for Orbital to begin operating the Wallops launch pad last week. Orbital will remove the Antares first stage from the launch pad after the hold-down engine test.   Another full-up Antares vehicle with a solid-fueled second stage and a mock payload will roll to the launch pad for the launcher's first flight, which is a demonstration mission to prove out the rocket. The second Antares launch, scheduled for early next year, will carry Orbital's Cygnus resupply craft on a test flight to the space station.

Orbital said in a statement Monday the space station test flight will haul approximately 550 kilograms, or 1,212 pounds, of cargo to the complex and will remove about 1,000 kilograms, or 2,204 pounds, of trash for disposal.

Source:

"Hunters For The Hungry" Begins 16th Season

The Eastern Shore Chapter of the Hunters for the Hungry is pleased to announce the start of the 16th season of helping facilitate hunters donate deer to local needy individuals though the Food Bank and other organizations. The local chapter started in 1997 and has processed over 4000 deer during this time.

Last year 200 deer were processed here on the Shore. The number was down slightly from the year before mirroring a decrease in deer harvested by hunters last season. The goal this year is 250 deer to be processed. The program averages about 35 pounds of processed deer per deer donated and costs $45 per deer to process.

The program last year again received a very generous donation of $5000.00 from the aquaculture industry in the Willis Wharf area. This helped cover processing costs and to replace the refrigeration unit in one of the portable trailers that had finally failed after many years of service.

The processors this year will be Brent Powell in Wachapreague (787-7107) and Matt Killmon of Bucktrails (787-1351) in Onancock. There will be refrigerated collection trailers at the Food Bank in Tasley and B&B Market on highway 13 in Machipongo. Please note this year that the trailers and processors will be operating only during muzzle loader and general firearm seasons, NOT during archery season.

The local chapter is soliciting financial contributions to cover processing costs. There is currently some matching money available depending on the source of the donation, please inquire. The program is 501-c-3 program and donations are deductible. The agency may also be designated with the local United Way.

Deer donations are strongly encouraged and will be accepted once the processors open at the end of October. All deer must be properly registered and field dressed.

For any questions, to volunteer to help or to arrange a speaker for a group please contact the local director, Worth Saunders, at 757-710-0049 or aes3ptocs@yahoo.com. The mailing address is PO Box 1702 Parksley VA 23421.

Source:

Pocomoke City Police Search 2 Suspects In Assault Case

From the  Pocomoke City Police Department

On September 18, 2012 Pocomoke Police City responded to a call regarding a reported stabbing that occurred in the area of Cherry Street in Pocomoke City.

Upon arrival the Officers met with the victim who stated he was attacked and then stabbed by one of the suspects. The victim stated that he had been involved in a physical altercation previously involving the two suspects.

Pocomoke City Police began conducting an investigation attempting to locate any suspects or witnesses. After further investigation Pocomoke City Police were able to identify the two suspects involved and obtained Arrest Warrants for them.

Suspect #1: Mark Drummond

 B/M; Age 28

Pocomoke, MD

 Suspect #2: Laquan Townsend

B/M; Age 18

Princess Anne, MD

 Charges:  1st Degree Assault

2nd Degree Assault

 Conspiracy To Commit 1st Degree Assault

If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of these suspects please call 410-957-1600 or your local police department.

Subjects Convicted For YMCA Shooting in Pocomoke City

PRESS RELEASE

From the desk of Kelvin D. Sewell

Pocomoke City Police Chief

On January 28, 2012 Pocomoke City Police responded to a call for an Assault in progress which resulted in a shooting incident. Once the Officers arrived on the scene they began investigating the incident. Due to the nature of the call the YMCA was placed on an immediate lock-down by the Pocomoke City Police Department.

While investigating the incident, it was learned that several suspects from Accomack County, Virginia attended the party when a fight occurred, then while leaving the in their vehicles, the suspects began shooting in the direction towards the crowd. One of the victim’s was taken to the hospital with minor injuries for the Assault.

The Pocomoke City Police Department interviewed several witnesses and were able to positively identify all the suspects who were involved from Accomack County, Virginia.

The below listed suspects were subsequently charged and convicted at the Worcester County Circuit Court:

Roderick Savage, age 17

Accomack  County, Virginia

Sentenced to 5 years suspend all but 18 months in jail

Roger Lee Savage Jr., age 17

Accomack  County, Virginia

Sentenced to 5 years suspend all but 18 months in jail

William H. Wilson Jr., age 22

Accomack  County, Virginia

Sentenced to 5 years suspend all but 18 months in jail

Devin Wessells, age 17

Accomack  County, Virginia

Sentenced to 228 days in jail

Dontrell Scarborough, age 20

Accomack  County, Virginia

Trial set for October 20, 2012

Links to previous YMCA Shooting press releases from Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin D. Sewell:

http://thepocomokepubliceye.blogspot.com/2012/01/pocomoke-city-police-dept-press-release.html

http://thepocomokepubliceye.blogspot.com/2012/02/from-pocomoke-city-police-department.html

http://thepocomokepubliceye.blogspot.com/2012/02/shooting-at-ymca-photos.html

http://thepocomokepubliceye.blogspot.com/2012/02/shooting-update-ymca.html

Great job Pocomoke City Police Officer Aaron Perkins and ALL the Pocomoke City Police Officers!  Also a great job by the Worcester County State's Attorney,  Beau Oglesby.

1st Annual Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular !!

New MD. Laws Against Domestic Violence Take Effect

WBOC News

ROCKVILLE, Md.- Two new laws are taking effect in Maryland to protect victims of domestic violence.

Starting Monday, residents who are forced to leave their employment to escape the threat of domestic violence will be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

Another law that goes into effect Monday requires judges to report whether or not defendants are found to have had a "domestically-related relationship" with their victims. If they have, a notation will be added to their criminal record that indicates they have committed a domestic violence-related crime. That will be used by law enforcement to monitor domestic violence offenders.

Source:

Ten Years Later... Malvo ....Twenty-three Day Killing Spree

Boyd Lee Malvo
Va. Beach Circuit Court
Oct. 20, 2003

By Josh White
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON

Lee Boyd Malvo said he remembers each of the sniper shootings in detail. But one moment – one image – stands out among the carnage of that terrifying time 10 years ago:

“Mr. Franklin’s eyes.”

Malvo remembers being in the blue Chevrolet Caprice, in which police found binoculars and walkie-talkies. He scanned the area to make sure John Allen Muhammad had a clean shot. He gave the “go” order and looked across Route 50 in Seven Corners at the target. Muhammad, hidden on a hill above, pulled the trigger. A bullet screamed across the highway, instantly killing Linda Franklin, who just happened to be going about her business at the Home Depot at precisely the wrong time.

But mostly he remembers Ted Franklin’s eyes – the devastation, the shock, the sadness. “They are penetrating,” Malvo said in a rare media interview from prison. “It is the worst sort of pain I have ever seen in my life. His eyes. … Words do not possess the depth in which to fully convey that emotion and what I felt when I saw it.

“… You feel like the worst piece of scum on the planet.”

Malvo’s attitude provides a sharp contrast to his posture 10 years ago. Shortly after his arrest, a boastful, defiant Malvo told investigators he fired the bullet that killed Franklin. He laughed and pointed to his head to show where the bullet struck. Told about Malvo’s words, one of those investigators said he wouldn’t be surprised if Muhammad fired the fatal shot and thinks Malvo might be coming to grips with what he did.

It has been 10 years since Malvo and Muhammad went on one of the most notorious killing sprees in the nation’s history. For 23 days in October 2002, the pair ambushed 13 unsuspecting strangers, killing 10 of them, in the Washington area. They succeeded in terrorizing the region, as death came without warning: in gas stations and parking lots, on benches and lawns. They even shot and wounded a 13-year-old standing in front of a middle school. Sporting events were canceled. People cowered behind tarps as they filled their cars with gas. Parents kept their children home. After the two were caught, they were tied to at least 12 more shootings from Washington state to Alabama, six of them fatal. Malvo went on trial in Virginia Beach; Muhammad in Chesapeake.

Muhammad is gone – executed in 2009 for his crimes. Malvo, the scrawny teenager, the cold-blooded accomplice, is now 27.

His killer stare seems to have softened. He speaks with animation and poise, and with an adult perspective on what he did. He claims to understand the enormity of his actions – the trail of death and loss and pain he left behind – and believes that, but for Muhammad, he might have accomplished something in life.

“I was a monster,” Malvo said. “If you look up the definition, that’s what a monster is. I was a ghoul. I was a thief. I stole people’s lives. I did someone else’s bidding just because they said so. … There is no rhyme or reason or sense.”

Retired FBI agent Brad Garrett, who helped question Malvo in 2002, said he’s not surprised by what Malvo is saying in 2012.

READ MORE.....

Movie Time At the Mar-Va Theater ~ Friday & Saturday

OCTOBER 5th and 6th

7PM

Admission: $5.00

Lottery Winner On Welfare Found Dead In Home

A woman who admitted to receiving food stamps after winning $1 million on a Michigan state lotto game show was found dead today.

The circumstances surrounding Amanda Clayton’s death were not immediately released by police, but ABC News’ Detroit affiliate WXYZ-TV reported that sources within the police department said they suspect the woman died of an overdose.

An autopsy is pending on Clayton’s body, which was found at a home in Ecorse, Mich., police said.

Clayton, who became a millionaire after her big win last September, caused outrage earlier this year when it was revealed she was continuing to get $200 in monthly food aid from the state.

According to the attorney general’s office, Clayton failed to report her winnings and employment while receiving $5,475 in food and medical assistance.

“It’s simply common sense that million dollar lottery winners forfeit their right to public assistance,” Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement. “We will continue to work with local, state and federal authorities to uphold state laws intended to ensure wise stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”

Michigan public assistance programs require participants to report income and employment.

She pleaded no contest to welfare fraud and was sentenced to probation in July.

Source:

TIME MACHINE ... Circumstances Resulted In A Momentous Occurrence In Pocomoke City.

(Reader-friendly viewing of newspaper archives material)


December, 1883

(The New York Times)


BLOWN THROUGH A ROOF
WHAT A KEG OF DEMOCRATIC POWDER DID

Correspondence Of The Baltimore American.
　
Pocomoke City, Md., Nov. 30.- Five years ago Mr. F. H. Dryden placed a keg of powder in the attic of an old building, formerly occupied by the Pocomoke Phosphate Company, and gave the boys of the town notice that they might have it to fire a salute when the Democrats elected a President. The building, which has been vacant for some time, was recently rented to William. H. Tatum. All day yesterday he was busy preparing it for occupation, intending to move into it tomorrow. He decided to place shelves around the lower room. The lumber for that purpose was in the attic. Elmo Tatum, aged 15 years, and Thomas Milburn, aged 16, were sent up there to bring the boards down. The boys had made two or three trips to the attic and had taken down most of the shelves. They could not see the remainder because of the darkness. Young Tatum therefore lighted a match. He soon saw the boards, and seeing the floor strewn with paper, thought it best to throw the match into an uncovered keg standing near. He did so. The keg proved to be a keg of powder. Instantly there was a tremendous explosion. Young Tatum was blown through the roof and took an aerial flight into the adjoining lot. He landed without breaking any bones, but his whole body was seared and scorched. His clothes began to blaze. He shrieked loudly for help. Several people ran up, grabbed him and doused him in a barrel of water. Dr. Coston then took him in charge and dressed his wounds. His recovery is doubtful. Young Milburn fared less seriously. He was on the steps at the time of the blow up. He jumped through an opening and escaped with a few burns and bruises. The doctor has him now in hand for repairs. He will pull through. The building is pretty well wrecked. The roof of the rear portion was blown off, the rear end was stripped of weather boarding, the window glass and sash shattered, and what was left standing of the back building is so twisted and distorted that it will have to come down. The fire caused by the explosion was soon put out and did no damage.

　　
January, 1967

(Washington Afro American)

Ashe makes it official, he's in Salisbury meet.

SALISBURY, Md.- America's number one tennis ace, Arthur Ashe of Richmond, Va., has confirmed his entry in the United States Indoor Tennis Championships to be played here February 12-19.

Ashe ranks among the world's top ten players, holding the position of number 6.

If he had not spent last summer in Army training, he might have earned a much higher position. He made an early onslaught of the Australian tournaments, collecting 4 out of 6 state titles, with victories of the entire Australian Davis Cup team.

Besides his four Australian titles, Ashe was victorious at Puerto Rico, Phoenix, Dallas, and Southern California, having 8 wins in 20 tournaments.

He had 3 victories over Australia's Roy Emerson at Brisbane, Adelaide, and Berkely.

In announcing receipt of Ashe's formal entry, Bill Riordan general chairman of the championships, also added the name of Gene Scott, St. James, New York.

Ranked number 16 in the United States, Scott scored an overwhelming upset over Manuel Santana at Salisbury last year.

Footnote: The United States Indoor Tennis Championships were played at the original Wicomico Youth And Civic Center from 1964 through 1972.  Tennis chairman Bill Riordan was a Salisbury businessman (The Fashion Shop) and managed the early career of Jimmy Connors.　



September, 1895

(The Denton Journal)

Princess Anne is enjoying the greatest business boom it has had in a quarter of a century.　

　
January, 1902

(Englewood Times- Englewood, Mich.)
　
The Baptist ministers of Accomac, Va., ten or twelve strong, have taken a most unique action, which has caused no little excitement in the religious world. At a recent session they conferred the degree of doctor of divinity upon one of their number, and have come out strongly for the doctrine that they have as much right to do so as the institutions of learning. They hold, furthermore, that every minister of good standing should have a degree conferred upon him by his fellows.

　　
(In simpler times?)
February, 1938


(Uniontown Morning Herald- Uniontown, Pa.)

LETTER TRAVELS MANY MILES TO NEARBY VILLAGE

SNOW HILL, MD., Jan 31. (AP)- For only three-cents, a letter travels 130 miles en route from Snow Hill to Girdletree- just seven miles away.

Here's how it works:

A Girdletree letter mailed here goes by a bus star mail route to Stockton- passing through Girdletree without a stop.
Another bus takes it from Stockton to Pocomoke City to meet a northbound train.

Train mail clerks unlock the pouch, sort the mail and toss the Girdletree letter into another pouch, which is tossed off the train to be picked up by a southbound train.

The pouch returns to Pocomoke City by train and another bus takes it to Stockton.
　
Another bus picks it up there and takes it four miles to Girdletree.

 　
　

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. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

Christmas In October ~ Don't Miss This!

Be sure to look for Dawn under her "Thirty-One" tent  downtown on October 6th during the Pocomoke City Downtown Fall Festival!

Dawn Bloxom (Thirty-One Consultant)
www.mythirtyone.com/bloxom

Onley Woman Found Guilty Of Food Stamp Fraud

By Connie Morrison
A woman who was getting food stamps without reporting she was working, and allowing her son to use the benefits in New York, was found guilty in Accomack County Circuit Court by Judge W. Revell Lewis III. Janet Marie Mackey, of Onley, pled not guilty to food stamp fraud for a period that spanned roughly 18 months between April 1, 2010 and September 30, 2012.

An eligibility worker for Accomack County Social Services detailed the process for obtaining and maintaining eligibility for food stamps, and Ms. Mackey's fraudulent responses to questions that influenced decisions about the amount of food stamps for which she could qualify. Ms. Mackey claimed that her son, who was living in New York, was still living with her, which allowed her to qualify for a higher level of benefits. She also failed to report that she had acquired employment.

Commonwealths Attorney Gary Agar then called the manager of the Wal-Mart Subway restaurant in Onley, who verified that Ms. Mackey had been employed since November, 2010, and an investigator for Social Services who reviewed her records and found most of the transactions during the period had occurred in New York. When confronted with the evidence, Ms. Mackey admitted her son lives in New York, but said she thought is was ok to allow him to use the card.

In all, Ms. Mackey obtained over $4,000 of benefits to which she was not entitled. She was permitted to remain on bond until sentencing.

Source:

The Rural Sign Painter

I am still photographing his signs but just not posting them...This one seemed to be a little more "photogenic".

Hoping there are better days ahead for him in the near future.  Loneliness isn't funny nor fun.

SAVE THIS DATE!! LOTS AND LOTS OF FUN!!

TIME MACHINE Preview ... Circumstances Resulted In A Momentous Occurrence In Pocomoke City.

　
It was an action intended for a future political celebration but it led to most undesirable consequences five years later, in 1883, in Pocomoke City.

Read about the series of circumstances that contributed to an unfortunate and bazaar incident.. this Sunday on the Pocomoke Public Eye!

　



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. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!

Art Show To Benefit Costen House Saturday

Written by:
Bill Kerbin

Photo/Bill Kerbin

POCOMOKE CITY — The Delmarva Discovery Center will be bustling with activity early Saturday as artists from three states set up exhibits for the sixth annual art show to benefit the Costen House Museum.

When the show opens at 10 a.m., the public will see a variety of works from paintings to handcrafted jewelry. Several artists will be demonstrating their skills and techniques.

Returning painter include Virginia native Willie Crockett, who demonstrates his painting techniques; Jenny Sommers, an accomplished watercolorist from Pocomoke City ; Ellen Lawler of Salisbury, who combines her expertise in ornithology with her artistic talents to create exquisite paintings of birds; and
Jean Mason of Pocomoke City, who paints watercolor landscapes.

Also returning are Ed Kuhn, a versatile carver from Onancock, Va.; Marcia Cupchalk, a jewelry maker from Berlin; Karen Corwin, who photographs the Chesapeake shoreline; and Diane Kerbin, who photographs and paints botanicals.

Grover Cantwell of Salisbury is well-known for Eastern Shore landscapes done in oils and watercolors. Janei Folz of Fenwick Island has received numerous awards for her thought-provoking compositions in oil.

Cathy Halligan from Ocean Pines will display her photographs of the region. Leslie Brett and Jan Coulbourne, two Virginia residents, will exhibit watercolor landscapes and seascapes, and Josephine Raine of Salisbury will be exhibiting her paintings of flowers done in oils and acrylics.

Dee Geesey of Chincoteague will exhibit her handpainted glassware and demonstrate the popular one-stroke painting technique. Her sister, Diane Carter, of Dover, will be displaying ceramics.

Source:

Support The Costen House Museum

COSTEN HOUSE ANNUAL ART SHOW

at

Delmarva Discovery Center

Saturday   September 29, 2012

10:00 am  ~  3:00 pm

OPCPD Traffic Stop Leads To 3 Arrests For Crack Cocaine

On September 26, 2012, at approximately 2:35 p.m. Ocean City Police patrol officers stopped a 2002 Nissan Altima with three occupants for a traffic violation in the area of 62^nd Street and Coastal Highway.  During the course of the traffic stop, the officers observed two occupants of the vehicle shoving an unknown object under the front seats.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Larry Dennell Floyd, Jr., 30, of Berlin.  During the traffic stop, officers checked the status of Floyd’s driver’s license and determined he was suspended.  During further investigation, officers identified the front passenger of the vehicle as Marty Edward Tankard, Jr., 33 of Berlin and a rear seat passenger as Joel Lamont Lankford, 40, of Nanticoke, Maryland.  In addition, officers determined the object being shoved under the seats was an empty beer bottle. 

While officers were checking under the front seat of the vehicle, they observed a white powdery substance they suspected to be crack cocaine.  Officers also recovered additional suspected crack cocaine from the front and rear passenger seats.  Police subsequently arrested Floyd for driving on a suspended license and Tankard and Lankford for possession of crack cocaine. 

During the arrest process, Floyd became uncooperative and would not open his mouth.  Officer suspected Floyd was concealing illegal drugs in his mouth and at which point Floyd attempted to swallow the items.   Officers attempted to get Floyd to spit the items out of his mouth, however, Floyd continued to refuse and resist arrest.  Due to the level of resistance Floyd was exhibiting and the concern that he was attempting to swallow life-threatening drug contraband, officers deployed a TASER/ECD and delivered one drive-stun to Floyd’s back to gain compliance.

Floyd immediately spit out the contents of his mouth, which was determined by officers to be a large quantity of suspected crack cocaine.  As a precautionary measure, Floyd was taken by OC EMS to Atlantic General Hospital for exposure to ECD and possible CDS consumption.  Floyd was evaluated and subsequently released from the hospital in Ocean City Police custody. 

• Larry Dennell Floyd, Jr. was charged with:
• Driving on a suspended Maryland License.
• Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance (crack cocaine).
• Possession of Paraphernalia.
• Possession of CDS with the Intent to Distribute (crack cocaine).
• Resisting Arrest.
• Obstructing and Hindering Arrest.
• Various Traffic Offences (Tickets).
• Marty Edward Tankard, Jr. was charged with:
  • Possession of CDS (crack cocaine).
  • Possession of an Open Container of Alcoholic Beverage in public.
• Joel Lamont Lankford was charged with:
  • Possession of CDS (crack cocaine).

All three suspects were seen by an Ocean City District Court Commissioner, Lankford and Tankard were released on their own recognizance.  Floyd was release after posting a $25,000 bond.

Ocean City Police Dept. Press Release

Romney Says He Will Halt Deep Defense Cuts

Photo/Wavy News

Written by:
Wesley P. Hester
Springfield, Va. --
The prospect of deep cuts to the military could help swing Virginia in his favor, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney suggested Thursday in an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

While polling has shown Romney trailing President Barack Obama in this key battleground for months, growing anxiety over the automatic defense cuts triggered by the failure of the "supercommittee" established as part of last year's debt deal could hurt the president, he said.

"I think Virginia is more attuned to what's happening in the military than the average state in the country," Romney said after a military-focused event at American Legion Post 176 in Springfield. "And I think the president's sequestration effort and his own budget cuts to the military have combined to concentrate thinking about the impact this will have on Virginia."

Under the 2011 Budget Control Act, $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts in defense and in domestic spending will be phased in beginning in 2013 if Congress and the president cannot reach a debt-reduction deal.

Romney has laid on Obama most of the blame for the looming sequestration — which the president and Congress agreed to as a last resort. Like Republican U.S. Senate candidate George Allen, Romney never supported the deal, and has gently suggested that Republicans were wrong to agree to what he on Thursday called "a strange proposal."

In Virginia, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-7th, and Gov. Bob McDonnell supported the debt deal. Earlier this year, House Republicans passed legislation, proposed by Romney's running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, that would avoid the defense cuts by shifting the reductions to domestic programs like food stamps and pension plans, but it gained no traction in the Senate.

If the sequestration is not averted, Virginia stands to lose 207,571 jobs from federal spending cuts — 136,191 resulting from Department of Defense cuts and 71,380 from non-Defense Department cuts — starting next year, according to an analysis released in July.

Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads would be especially hard hit as a result of the heavy concentration of defense contracting jobs and military posts.

In the interview, Romney said he would avert the automatic cuts if elected by first working with Congress to enact an emergency measure to extend current military spending by six months, and begin identifying alternate reductions.

Romney added that he would immediately begin work toward cutting $500 billion a year from the budget by the end of his first term.
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"Shine On, Shine On Harvest Moon...."



Image Credit: Dan Bush of Missouri Skies



Harvest Moon 2012

The Harvest Moon is coming this weekend! The moon has been waxing larger each night, and full moon is the night of September 29-30, 2012. In traditional skylore, the Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. For us in the Northern Hemisphere, the autumnal equinox came on September 22. That makes the September 29-30 full moon the Harvest Moon.

There’s also a name for the next full moon after the Harvest Moon. It’s called the Hunter’s Moon, and it’ll come this year on October 29.

Officially, the crest of the full Harvest Moon will happen on September 29, 2012 at 10:19 p.m. CDT (3:19 on September 30 Universal Time). Depending upon your time zone, the full moon will be September 29 or 30. But the moon will appear round and full on all the nights around this full moon.

So don’t just look for the Harvest Moon on the night of September 29 or 30. Look for the moon to be bright and full-looking for several nights at the end of September, 2012. If you live far enough north – for example, in the northern states, Canada or Alaska – the Harvest Moon will continue to shine from dusk until dawn into early October. This procession of moonlit nights is what characterizes the Harvest Moon.
Why is the Harvest Moon special?

Harvest Moon is just a name. It’s the name for the full moon nearest the autumnal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll always see the Harvest Moon in either September or October. In the Southern Hemisphere, a moon with these same characteristics always comes in March or April.
But the Harvest Moon is more. Nature is particularly cooperative around the time of the autumn equinox to make the full moonrises unique around this time.

Here’s what happens. On average, the moon rises about 50 minutes later each day. But when a full moon happens close to the autumnal equinox, the moon (at mid-temperate latitudes) rises only about 30 minutes later daily for several days before and after the full Harvest moon. Why? The reason is that the ecliptic – or the moon’s orbital path – makes a narrow angle with the evening horizon around the time of the autumn equinox. The narrow angle of the ecliptic results in a shorter-than-usual rising time between successive moonrises around the full Harvest Moon.

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Bottom line: The Harvest Moon will come in late September in 2012. The Harvest Moon is the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox, which in 2012 comes on September 22. So the full moon of September 29-30 is 2012′s Harvest Moon. October 1 will have a beautiful bright full-looking moon, too. The Harvest Moon is not really bigger, brighter or more pumpkin-colored than other full moons, but it’s special because, at this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere, the time between successive moonrises is shorter than usual. Enjoy.

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~Delmarva's Got Talent ~

Semifinals and Finals This Weekend!

Semifinals: September 28th

Finals: September 29th

All Shows: 7 PM

Admission: $10/ticket or $30/4 tickets

Eleven qualifying contestants will be competing for a spot in the Finals round of DGT 2012.

 April Brilliant from Froggy 99.9 will be our emcee for the evening.

On Saturday, the finals will take place and you'll find out who has GOT TALENT!

Charlie Paparella will be returning as our emcee to close out the event!

See you this weekend!

Investigation Continues Into Death Of Prison Inmate

(CRESAPTOWN, MD) -- Maryland State Police homicide investigators are continuing their investigation into the death of a state prison inmate who was found dead in his cell early this morning.

The victim is identified as Charles Richardson, 28, who was an inmate at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Allegany County. Richardson had been incarcerated in the Maryland Division of Correction since 2009 and was serving a sentence of life without parole for first degree murder, assault, and handgun violations.

At about 5:00 a.m. today, correctional officers observed an inmate outside his cell on a tier in possession of clothing that appeared to be bloodstained. Officers entered the inmate’s cell and found his cellmate, Richardson, lying under a blanket. Officers removed the blanket and saw the inmate had sustained trauma to his head.

Correctional officers provided emergency care and summoned medics. Medics from Cresaptown pronounced Richardson deceased at the scene.

State Police Homicide Unit investigators responded to the scene to conduct the investigation and were assisted by the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Internal Investigative Unit. State Police crime scene technicians processed the scene and collected evidence that will be forwarded to the State Police Forensic Sciences Division laboratory. Investigators worked throughout the day conducting interviews and continuing the investigation.

The victim’s body has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. An autopsy is expected to be conducted tomorrow.

A motive for the apparent murder has not been determined. No charges have been filed at this time.

Maryland State Police Press Release

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