Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Snow Emergency Plan for Worcester and Somerset Counties

Worcester County Sheriff's Office

The Maryland State Police have implemented a Snow Emergency Plan with SHA for Worcester and Somerset Counties

. Once a snow emergency is declared, the law requires certain precautions:

 Prohibited parking on roads and streets designated as snow emergency routes; and The use of snow tires/chains (most cars now use all weather tires, so changing to "snow" tires is unnecessary)

 Motorists are urged to stay home. Disabled vehicles will be towed from roadways immediately. SHA has crews working at this time. We ask that you give them clear passage.

Virginia / Closings and Delays for Tuesday January 28, 2014 / Wednesday, January 29, 2014

 

Virginia / Closings and Delays for Tuesday January 28, 2014 / Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Daily Manufacturing will be open Wednesday, all employees report on time.

Una Familia at Melfa UMC canceled Wednesday
Accomack County Juvenile and Domestic Court closed Wednesday

ESO in Belle Haven will close at 4:00 PM.

Shiloh Baptist Church, Boston, canceled Wednesday's meeting.

New Revenna closed Wednesday.

Painter Garrison & Smith's Chapel United Methodist Church have canceled Wednesday's morning Bible Study and Prayer Group and also Wednesday evening Bible Study.

Rock Church's Food Distribution is postponed for tonight and rescheduled for Friday at 6:00 PM.

Accomack County Government Offices will close at 4:00 today.

Adult Probation and Parole in Accomac is closed on Wednesday.

NH Circuit Court is closed on Wednesday.

YMCA is closing at 6:00PM today.

Painter Garrison's UMC & Smith Chapel UMC have cancelled the joint Wednesday morning prayer group, as well as the Wednesday morning Bible Study, and the Wednesday evening Bible study for tomorrow.

ES Community Services Board is closed on Wednesday.
Attitudes Fitness Center - All classes cancelled this evening.

Central Baptist Academy Closing at 1:30 PM

Parks and Rec Basketball games for tonight have been cancelled.

Cheriton Vol Fire Company Bingo cancelled for Tuesday night

All Rabies Clinics for tonight, Tuesday January 28th, and tomorrow, Wednesday January 29th have been CANCELED! Please share this information. We hope to re-schedule these clinics for next week and will let everyone know once we have that figured out.

The Northampton County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court will be closed Wednesday, January 29th.

The branches of NMA Federal Credit Union will be closed on Wednesday.

Accomack County Schools close 1:30 Tuesday

E.S. Animal Hospital closing at 2 pm

Accomack Juvenile and Domestic Court drivers license presentation postponed until Feb. 25.

Epworth UMC Vision meeting cancelled for tonight

Coast Guard Flotilla 12-2 meeting cancelled for tonight

Hare Valley Senior Center closed Tuesday

Chesapeake Bay ENT closed on Wednesday

Basketball game Chinco vs. Northampton Postponed

Scholastic Bowl Championship at Surry has been cancelled

Garbage pick-up has been stopped due to a main water pipe break on Main Street, Exmore.

Garbage pick-up in the town of Exmore has been stopped due to a break in the water main pipe on Main Street.

Hogan to Kick-off Campaign for Governor

Hogan to Kick-off Campaign for Governor

Who: Larry Hogan, a business owner for over 25 years, has helped attract hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs to Maryland. Hogan took time away from his successful business to serve as a Cabinet Secretary in the Ehrlich Administration. He founded the state’s largest non-partisan grassroots organization focused on bringing fiscal responsibility and common sense to Annapolis.  He has spent a lifetime fighting to change Maryland for the better.

What: Hogan for Governor Kick-off Rally

Where: Mike's Crab House, 3030 Riva Road, Annapolis (Riva), MD 21140

When: 7PM Wednesday January 29, 2014

Details: Larry Hogan will kick-off his campaign for Governor 7PM Wednesday January 29, 2014 with a rally at Mike’s Crab House in Riva, Maryland




Contact:
Adam Schmidt
(443) 221-4450 office
(410) 897-7050 mobile
aschmidt@hoganforgovernor.com
Hannah Marr
(443) 221-4450 office
(443) 935-3684 mobile
hmarr@hoganforgovernor.com

NRECA Raises Energy Cost Concerns in State of the Union

January 28, 2014
Jo Ann Emerson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), made the following statement regarding the President’s State of the Union speech this evening.
 
“Electric cooperatives advocate for a federal energy policy of reliable and affordable power while protecting health and the environment.
 
“The President plans to offer a vision tonight that he hopes will expand opportunity for all Americans. However, his Administration’s regulations could directly undermine this goal, especially for those living on fixed income or at lower levels of earnings.
 
“Specifically, the potential costs of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) greenhouse gas regulations threaten every household and business on a budget, not to mention the ability of electric cooperatives to continue providing reliable and affordable energy. These regulations hit hardest on Americans who can least afford to pay the bigger bills, lose their jobs or turn down their heat. And since electric cooperatives serve the majority of the ‘persistent poverty’ counties in the country (http://www.nreca.coop/wp-content/plugins/nreca-interactive-maps/persistent-poverty/), we take this seriously.
 
“Co-ops work diligently to provide affordable power in a way that best meets the needs of the local consumers who own their cooperative, including renewable resources, energy efficiency options and other tools demanded by today’s consumers. We require the freedom to pursue new technologies and innovations. The EPA’s insistence to rely on carbon dioxide capture and storage technology that isn’t ready for prime time hamstrings us in a significant way.
 
“Sometimes folks in Washington get lost in the policy at the expense of the people. Co-ops don’t see it that way and we’ll continue to ensure our members are heard on the affordability of energy and economic opportunity in their communities all over the country.”
 
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 42 million people in 47 states.

Source:

David Craig Fixes Obamacare Mess in Maryland



David Craig Fixes Obamacare Mess in Maryland 

 Harford County Executive and Maryland Governor candidate David Craig offered to reimburse a Seattle businesswoman who received hundreds of errant phone calls because Maryland Health Connection, the state’s online Obamacare exchange, incorrectly posted her toll-free number as a help line.

As State officials dither over whether to reimburse the owner of Seattle Pottery Supply, health care point man and Lt. Governor Anthony Brown remains silent on the issue after refusing to issue an apology for the troubled state exchange in General Assembly hearings.


“When people make a mess they usually clean it up and apologize, but our elected officials do neither,” said Craig.

As reported in the Baltimore Sun January 18, state health department officials “would consider reimbursing Lunz for long-distance calls from Maryland.” The calls to Sue Lunz’s pottery supply company started in October, and she has been directing Marylanders to the correct number through last weekend.


David Craig sent Lunz a letter yesterday stating that she will be reimbursed for the cost of phone calls.  Craig is hopeful it is a small amount since the money would come from his personal account, and in the event it is a large amount a fundraiser will be held.

“As a small business owner myself, I can only imagine the inconvenience this must have caused her,” said Del. Jeannie Haddaway, who is running for Lt. Governor. “The State’s approach to handling this is arrogant, bureaucratic and  unacceptable.”


In a separate error, the so-called zip code glitch has been corrected which the Craig campaign discovered on Jan 6.  A “local” help feature on the federal exchange directed consumers in 14 states with their own exchange to navigators in other states. In Maryland, for example, entering a Baltimore zip code directed people to Reston, Virginia and York, Pennsylvania.

The glitch was reported on in national media outlets including Daily Caller, Fox News, Hot Air and Maryland media.


Craig and Haddaway have repeatedly called on the state to shift millions of dollars in marketing, outreach and promotional dollars away from the error-prone Maryland Health Connection.  Undisclosed millions of dollars are allocated to promoting the troubled Maryland health exchange while virtually nothing is going to informing the public of their options of signing up for coverage with the assistance of insurance brokers or directly through carriers.

“It is a shame that the O’Malley-Brown Administration is just now getting around to considering some of the viable alternatives that we proposed.  What will it take and how bad will this have to get before they finally admit that there is a better way to ensure Marylanders have health coverage?” asked Haddaway.


The board overseeing Maryland Health Connection announced yesterday that they will be working with insurance brokers to develop a telephone help line.  Craig and Haddaway called on the State to emphasize direct enrollment options with the insurance industry on Jan. 6.

###


Background:

Craig offers to pay phone bill for exchange mistakehttp://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-pottery-snafu-20140127,0,365776.story#ixzz2rezBT3BC

Wrong number is latest failure of Md. health exchange
 http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2014-01-18/health/bs-md-health-exchange-folo-20140118_1_health-exchange-maryland-site-wrong-number

Glitch in federal healthcare site directing Maryland to other states
Governor candidate David Craig: Md. should stop promoting its troubled health exchange

Consumers Asked To Conserve Electricity On Tuesday

 
 
 

A & N Electric Cooperative ~ Beat the Peak TONIGHT & WEDNESDAY EVENING

 
Beat the Peak: Tuesday January 28th, 6-8 p.m. &; Wednesday, January 29th, 6-8 a.m.

 Why: We're "beating the peak" today and tomorrow morning because of the very cold temps. During times of peak energy use your co-op pays a premium price for energy. By reducing how much energy you are using in your home, you can lower your co-op's energy costs.


What Should I do? To lower your energy consumption during the alert period, please turn off any unnecessary lights and delay using appliances like your dishwasher or washing machine. Instead of using all the TV's in your home maybe use one. Make sure unused appliances are unplugged.
 

This Evening and Early Wednesday Across Southeast VA and Eastern Shore


Arcadia Middle School
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Photo/ BW
 
From Accomack County

Near blizzard conditions possible this evening and early Wednesday across southeast VA and Eastern Shore, mainly near the coast and Bay.

 Roads will quickly become treacherous, and travel difficult.

Due to cold temperatures, road impacts will likely continue Thursday, and possibly Friday (rural/neighborhood roads). 


Event Timing: Late this afternoon through noon Wednesday.
 
Snowfall - Snow totals have increased for our area to 5” to 10” as the front has moved a little north of original track.

 Exact snow amount could change depending on the intensity and track of the coastal storm.

Temps - Lows tonight: 15 to 20. Highs Wednesday: mid 20s to near 30. Above freezing are expected only briefly Thursday afternoon. Lows Wednesday night 10 to 15; Thursday night around 20.

Winds - Tonight through Wednesday afternoon: 15-25 mph with gusts 30-35 mph; highest close to the water. Wind chills tonight and Wednesday will range from zero to 10 degrees.
 
Storm Surge - No flooding or significant tidal departures expected.

A & N Electric Cooperative ~ BEAT the PEAK

A & N Electric Cooperative reminds its customers that due to the extreme cold temperatures they should be on alert for the Beat the Peak notice.  During a cold snap like the one  we are experiencing and have endured a few times this season the demand for electricity goes upward.

To keep rates down A&N Electric Cooperative asks its customers to PLEASE try to use ovens, dishwashers, washers and dryers only from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., or after 9 p.m. Lower your thermostat to 68 degrees if health permits, and turn off unnecessary lights. 

 Any information A & N receives will be passed on to customers.

For more information LIKE A & N Cooperative on Facebook

Website:  www.anec.com 

A Touch of Elegance Wedding Expo





First Annual Bridal Showcase hosted by Cowger Entertainment held at the beautiful Pocomoke Community Center in Pocomoke City.

Come out and visit vendors of all types to help plan your big wedding day!

 From DJ's to Photographers, to Cakes we will have it all in one place.

 Door Prizes and $500 cash give away.

Refreshments will be available.

Cost $5 per person, Children under 12 are Free.

LOOK BEFORE YOU BOOK: VISITORS BEWARE OF INTERNET RENTAL SCAMS

(January 27, 2014) – With summer quickly approaching, the Ocean City Police Department is reminding citizens to be cautious while using the internet to search for vacation rentals. While popular websites can be a valuable tool in finding reasonable vacation rentals, consumers need to beware of scammers who are posing as property owners.

Some of the most consistent “red flags” associated with rental scams are demonstrated through poor grammar, spelling errors, poor capitalization and punctuation on any online material. In addition, if a vacation rental owner does not accept credit cards as a form of payment, they should almost always accept a personal check. Most scammers will only take cashier’s checks or ask money to be wired to a specific account.  Lastly, you should be cautious of a property owner who is hesitant or unwilling to provide additional information in regards to the rental property, such as amenities or photographs.

As a renter you should take additional steps to assure the owner and rental properties are legitimate. There are several tips you should remember to avoid being a victim of an online rental scam. First, do not wire money to a suspected landlord and remember, regardless how convincing the tale, make sure the person renting the house to you actually owns it. Also, verify where you will go and who you will see to pick up the rental key. Make sure that the person and location is valid. Finally, if you have any suspicious concerns, follow your instinct. Even if you have to pay a fee, you are often safer dealing with a licensed real estate agent.

Ocean City Police Department

Earnhardt To Honor Vietnam Vets With Paint Scheme


No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro will carry the Vietnam War 50th Commemoration Seal in 2014

NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Jeffrey Earnhardt will bring an important message rooted in sacrifice and patriotism to the racetrack in 2014. Earnhardt, the nephew of Dale Earnhardt Jr., will carry the Vietnam War 50th Commemoration Seal on his No. 4 Chevy Camaro for the entirety of the upcoming season.

"The President of the United States signed a proclamation to honor Vietnam Veterans for the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, and we'll be delivering that message for their commemorative partner Warrior 50", said Earnhardt in a team release.  "This is a huge honor and I'm humbled to pay tribute to that generation of great Americans. We'll be racing to honor those who served during a challenging time in our history and I look forward to showing the NASCAR fans appreciation for our Vietnam Vets and their families."

A non-profit organization, Warrior 50 seeks to honor Vietnam Veterans and bring awareness to the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War through NASCAR. The organization also provides valuable resources to all veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

"A great many Vietnam Vets and their families are enormous NASCAR fans so it makes this such an appropriate tribute,” said the Rev. Dr. Chuck Gass of Warrior 50. "The Warrior 50 effort will be entirely funded by contributions from the people.  Every grateful American is encouraged to visit www.Warrior50.org to make a tax deductible contribution towards this mission. These brave warriors fought and died for us and it's only fitting that we do this for them."

"As Commemorative Partners, Jeffrey Earnhardt and his team join a grateful nation in thanking and honoring our Vietnam Veterans and their families for their service, valor and sacrifice," said Lt. Gen. Claude "Mick" Kicklighter, U.S. Army (Retired), Director, Department of Defense Office of Commemorations. "From Daytona to Homestead and all NASCAR Nationwide Series locations in between, they will be honoring thousands of Vietnam Veterans in their hometowns during each race, for which we are extremely thankful."

Earnhardt's first race featuring the Vietnam War 50th Commemoration Seal will be televised live on ESPN on Feb. 22 at 1:15 p.m. ET from Daytona International Speedway.

Source:

Field Notes By Delegate Michael A. McDermott

 
Field Notes
Observations and Reflections on Legislative Activities
By Delegate Michael A. McDermott
Week 3 January 20-24, 2014
 
Monday Evening Session:
 
The House heard a presentation by Delegate Barbara Robinson (D-Baltimore City) in honor of Martin Luther King Day. It was requested that the delegates remarks be Journalized for the record (the entire speech will be included in the written record of the House of Delegates).
 
 
 
Tuesday Afternoon Judiciary Briefing:
 
A briefing was conducted to hear about the recent Court of Appeals decision  which addressed the DeWolfe v. Richmond decision and the rejection of the fix provided by the General Assembly in 2012. Chief Judge Clyburn made a presentation on the Task Force recommendations on eliminating the problems associated with defendants being entitled to representation during their Initial Appearances before the court (this is currently performed by District Court Commissioners without the presence of counsel). The Office of the Public Defender estimates the additional costs would be around $30 million. The judicial task force estimates they can provide services through a variety of changes and by utilizing video conferencing with judges for a cost of roughly $6 million in total costs. I have previously proposed expanding the ability of persons to be released on citation by law enforcement and I have called for my former bill (HB-119), which passed the House in 2012, to be revisited and considered as a means of dealing with some of these issues. It is clear that there will be additional costs associated with insuring people have representation at all phases of the court process, but Governor O’Malley failed to include any money in his budget appropriated for this purpose.
 
The House Republicans offered a few rule changes from the floor. The first change sought would require that every bill that is heard by a committee must be allowed an up or down vote by that same committee. Currently, many bills have a hearing and are never heard from again as the committee chairman will simply refuse to bring the bill out for a vote. It is a common practice known as “keeping a bill in the drawer”. I have written about this practice in the past. I spoke on the floor in support of the rule change as I do not believe that one delegate should be able to prevent a bill from receiving a vote that is offered by another delegate simply because they elect not to bring the bill forward. I believe the people of Maryland deserve better. This change was referred to the House Rules Committee where it will, no doubt, go to die.
 
Another proposed rule change would see the creation of a non-partisan House Parliamentarian. Currently, we are the only legislative body in the United States that has a Parliamentarian who is an appointed member of the majority party. Considering that this person makes decisions regarding the interpretation of rules that govern the conduct of the House, when the majority seeks to do something that the minority believes is against the rules, the Parliamentarian always takes the side of the majority. It is a ridiculous system. Even the Maryland Senate at least pretends to have a fair system by naming a Clerk as the Senate Parliamentarian (even though she merely provides advice to the President of the Senate and works on his payroll).
 
Wednesday Afternoon Judiciary Hearings:
 
HB-49 would create a uniform percentage of 15% as a “reasonable Attorney Fee” that could be charged in cases involving a Breach of Contract.
 
HB-59 would allow for the transfer of property and wealth (titles, etc.) by a person to another person that would take place upon the owner’s death. This would be similar to a “Life Estate” that currently exists within the law. It was said that this would help many elderly folks who do not desire to create a will or other type of document, but who do want to insure that their final wishes are implemented upon their death.
 
HB-83 seeks to codify the Common Law decisions that have been historically used to guide and govern Maryland in addressing Trusts. This bill was passed last year by the House and then was tied up in the Senate. The bill is a significant work that has been worked on in the House for a number of years.
 
HB-147 would allow Montgomery County to receive the same treatment as the state would in cases where the county acts on behalf of the state in cases arising out of the administration of a State Human Services program being administered by Montgomery County. It seeks to clarify the law as it is currently being carried out relationally between the state and Montgomery County.
 
Thursday Morning Session:
 
The session began with a  Special Order on HB-. This bill would offer an open ended extension of the Maryland Health Insurance Program in order to cover the massive mistakes made by Maryland Obamacare provisions. The bill would provide unlimited coverage for anyone who merely claims they tried to get insurance and were rejected prior to the deadline. This bill would provide direct payments to cover any medical issues experienced by these persons during the time that they “claim” they could not receive coverage through Maryland-Obamacare. They propose to tax the hospitals to cover the costs associated by this error. The Special Order will postpone the matter until Friday,
 
A joint session was then called to order as we invited the Senate into the House Chamber to hear Governor O’Malley’s State of the State Address. It should come as no surprise that the governor did a victory lap on his accomplishments.  You can find the Address here.
 
Here are some points that come to mind regarding the governor’s speech:
 
In a nutshell, Martin O’Malley thinks that he has been successful. He thinks our state is stronger than when he first stepped foot in the door. He believes our middle class is more vibrant, healthier, and prosperous than ever in our history. He believes that our state is friendlier for business and is a leader in the country for jobs.
The word “delusional” came quickly to mind.
 
The governor claimed he entered office “with a $1.7 billion structural deficit” when his predecessor, Gov. Ehrlich, had left him with a billion dollar surplus. Essentially, Governor O’Malley will leave office having increased our spending by over 32% and in debt up to our eyeballs. Quite a contrast.
 
He forever changed Maryland’s definition of marriage. He raised taxes and fees over 72 times to date. He redefined “rich” as any family making over $100,000 a year (and taxed accordingly), and he threw in driver’s licenses and In-State Tuition breaks for illegal aliens. He has managed to bring our agricultural industry to the brink, makes us all pay $5 a month to flush our toilets, hiked our tolls by 300%, and taxes us for the rain that falls on our roofs. He took away our rifles and did a jig on our 2nd Amendment Rights. He shut down our mental health care facilities on the shore, and he hiked taxes and fees on our Watermen by 400%.
 
Yes sir, he has been a true change agent…just don’t forget all those democrat votes that paved the way for his vision of America. I can only say I was glad to be a witness to his last State of the State Address.
 
Hearing on HB-26
 
I felt that I had a very successful hearing on my bill which would require the state to provide a fiscal impact statement on any regulations they bring before the AELR Committee (a joint, bi-partisan committee that reviews regulations when we are not in session). It is hard to believe that this is not generally required when you consider the significant impact these regulations often have on businesses and our people. No bill can be approved in the General Assembly without a fiscal note and it only makes good sense to require the same treatment on these regulations. Several folks from the agriculture community came into to testify in favor of the bill.
 
 The committee appeared to agree and I look forward to their taking action and approving the bill.
 
Thursday Afternoon Judiciary Hearing:
 
HB-73 would allow for a rebuttable presumption in cases of damages for injuries sustained from dog bites. It would stop a court from presumptions that a dog is inherently vicious simply because of the breed.
 
HB-80 would establish by law that the owner of a dog running at large is responsible for any damages caused by the dog whether or not the owner knew or should have known that the dog was dangerous. There are exceptions in this bill for service dogs and for dogs that were provoked prior to the attack.
 
*Note(HB-73 and HB-80 involved an extensive hearing that lasted several hours. There were folks on both sides of the issue. It was said by Del. Simmons, the sponsor of HB-80, that his bill and the senate bill being put forward by Sen. Frosh should be passed without amendments or they risk not being passed)
 
HB-93 would require that a person who is convicted of Cruelty to Animals may be held responsible by the court for any expenses incurred in the care, treatment, or relocation of the animal. It would apply to all offenses involving animal cruelty.
 
HB-151 seeks to expand the number of counties that would become part of the pilot program which was started in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The pilot is an intervention program designed to provide alternatives for a Child in Need of Supervision as designated by the state. It has been utilized to keep children who qualify from unnecessarily advancing in the Juvenile Justice system without the benefit of other alternatives. Wicomico was brought in as a pilot county during this fiscal year. This expansion would continue until every Maryland county is included in this program.
 
Friday Eastern Shore Delegation Meeting:
 
Today we met with the School Superintendents from the Eastern Shore and with State Superintendent Lowry. The Superintendents introduced Dr. Memo Deriker  (BEACON) from Salisbury who relayed, for the second year in a row, the local benefit from tax dollars invested in our public schools. I commented that I felt the comparison could not really be made since the school system must first extract millions from our economy through tax dollars before it returns the money through various sources. Dr. Dericker was dug in on his position.
 
Much of the discussion was centered around the new Common Core standards that have been implemented in the public schools in every grade level. There was some solid debate regarding these concerns as the superintendents and Superintendent Lowery made an effort to defend the changes. Most of the discussion was anecdotal, but it was made clear that many states are rethinking their commitment and making significant changes to slow their process of implementation.
 
I asked Superintendent Lowery why Common Core was not phased in over time beginning with Kindergarten and First Grade. She stated that they felt it was in the best interest to adopt the standards system wide so as to give every student a better education (based upon the new standard).  I also asked her about certain standards which give students partial credit for wrong answers during Common Core testing. She agreed that this was the case, but she defended this credit by stating that students who show some degree of understanding, even though the final answer is wrong, should get some credit. I told the Superintendent that I hoped someone who got partial credit for a trigonometry response would not be a future builder of a new Bay Bridge.
 
Friday Morning Regular Session:
 
 
There was debate on HB-119 which has been presented as an emergency bill to address the failures of Maryland-Obamacare by covering the costs of any medical care received by anyone who merely claims they called and could not get through to the system, They could offer us no realistic estimate on what these costs might be or how long we would need to continue making this available.
 
So even though they received hundreds of millions to set up this system in Maryland as an “example” to the rest of the states…and even though this democrat bureaucracy under O’Malley-Brown had over 2 years to plan ahead and make it happen…and even though, when questions began to be raised and it appeared months in advance that this was completely in the weeds and not going to work out…we followed the Obama plan and rolled it out to our fellow Marylanders anyway!  To be fair, these liberals that voted for this thing did not let me down…it is exactly as we told them it would be and that’s why every House Republican voted NO!
 
It is tough living in a “Nanny” state when the Nanny does not show up for work. Well, the final vote on this fiasco will be on Tuesday morning…do I need to say how I will be voting?
 
 
 

Monday, January 27, 2014

WINTER STORM WATCH / VIRGINIA

INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CHINCOTEAGUE...WALLOPS ISLAND...MELFA
 403 PM EST MON JAN 27 2014


...WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TUESDAY TO 1 PM EST
 WEDNESDAY...

 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A WINTER
 STORM WARNING FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM TUESDAY TO
 1 PM EST WEDNESDAY.

 * AREAS AFFECTED: VIRGINIA LOWER EASTERN SHORE.

 * HAZARDS: SNOW.

 * ACCUMULATIONS: 2 TO 4 INCHES.

 * TIMING: LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE
 THROUGH EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY
 SNOWFALL WILL OCCUR TUESDAY NIGHT.

 * IMPACTS: ROADS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND ICY DUE TO
 TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING AND ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL.

 TRAVEL
 CONDITIONS WILL BECOME DANGEROUS...ESPECIALLY TUESDAY NIGHT
 DURING THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL.

 PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
 A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SNOW MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER
 CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW
 ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN
 EMERGENCY.

IF YOU MUST TRAVEL...KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT...
 FOOD...AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

Field Notes / By Delegate Michael A. McDermott

 
 Field Notes
Observations and Reflections on Legislative Activities
By Delegate Michael A. McDermott
Week 2 January 13-17, 2014
 
Monday Evening Session:  Here are the bills on First Reader.
 
Tuesday Morning Session:
 
We recognized several former delegates who passed away during the past year with brief eulogies on the floor delivered by several members.
 
Tuesday Afternoon Judiciary Hearings:
 
We heard a review of proposed marijuana possession law changes. The informational hearing did not address a particular proposed bill, but simply the potential for legalizing marijuana possession in Maryland.
 
HB-1 would require the courts to take “Educational Stability” into consideration when factoring on the needs of a Child in Need of Assistance (CNA).  We asked some questions regarding protections of Home School families and other choices in education as this would require the court to be more involved in educational aspects of a child’s life.
 
HB-38 would streamline some of the process for an appeal to the Court of Special Appeals and would eliminate some of the document demands currently required under  the process in place.  There was some opposition indicating that these changes may be problematic for certain groups who are often indigent.
 
HB-45  would allow for Judiciary reports, etc. to be posted on line as opposed to being made part of the Maryland Register since they are already maintained on the Judiciary website.
 
HB-79 seeks to establish certain procedures for a person seeking a Juvenile Expungement of a criminal record. While current Juvenile records are sealed, the Judiciary is seeing instances where these records are being brought into question by potential employers of these juveniles as they become adults. This would not be “shielding” of the records, but the complete removal. The State’s Attorney’s Association came in and opposed the bill. It seems that the current system of “sealed” records once a person reaches the age of 21 should remain in place.
 
Wednesday Morning Session: Here are the bills which were on First Reader.
 
Wednesday Afternoon Judiciary Hearing: We received a briefing from several policy people addressing access to health care and our current medical liability system. Much of the time was spent hearing from health care professionals speaking to a crisis in Maryland in delivering services while addressing litigation that has grown out of control in recent years. One primary example is the absence of OBGYN services being provided in many hospitals across Maryland due to litigation. It is tough in this committee to discuss tort reform  in a room full of defense attorneys.
 
Thursday Morning Session: Here are the bills introduced on First Reader. 
 
Thursday Afternoon Judiciary Hearing:
 
HB-31 this is a bill I introduced last session (HB-1382) which provides the victims of crime the absolute right to provide a Victim Impact Statement during the sentencing phase of any trial. The bill was supported by all of the victim rights advocates of Maryland as well as the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Assoc. and the Governor’s Office of Crime Control. I look for the bill to move quickly out of committee and to approval by the entire House as was the case in 2013.
 
HB-44 would allow a judge to require a person who is the subject of a temporary or final protective order to undergo an Emergency Evaluation. We heard testimony from victim advocates detailing several instances where victims were injured or killed by persons under protective orders who did not receive a mental health review.
 
HB-68 would restrict the ability of the courts to award child custody or visitation to an individual convicted  as a sex offender. This seems like a no brainer, but we have had a small number of judges that are allowing visitation and custody to child sex offenders.
 
Friday Morning Eastern Shore Delegation Meeting:
 
The delegation met with Sec. Dallas of the Department of Human Resources. He provided details on several welfare programs as well as some success in welfare to work initiatives.
 
We also heard from Sec. Skinner of the Department of Housing and Community Development. Most of the discussion focused on the recovery efforts his agency was involved with in Crisfield and Somerset County. He broke down the dollar amounts and some of the ongoing timetables and efforts. I told him about some complaints I had heard from contractors who have said they could build homes for quite a bit less money per square foot but the state is demanding compliance with many add on features that are driving the costs up by 50%. The Secretary acknowledged the costs but said it was necessary to comply with federal mandates. Quite frankly, talking to some of the guys in the know, these features are outrageous. (The sprinkler mandate from the state does not help with costs either).
We had an update from Colonel Brown of the State Police on certain reorganization changes that will severely impact local narcotics task forces on the shore. The changes will pull MSP detectives from these units and use them to investigate larger cases that lead out of the counties and state. Sheriff Bounds was there and stated that he saw this as an immediate problem for them to try and keep operations going effectively without the manpower. He was hoping to negotiate for some additional time before the transition. It is unclear how the rest of the shore will be impacted as the first change is on the mid-shore. It is something we must keep an eye on going into the future.
 
Friday Morning Session: Here are the bills introduced on First Reader.
 
 
 
 

Premiere Movie Night ~ NASA Visitor Center


The Past and Present Fundraiser For the Costen House

Past and Present Fundraiser for the Costen House Museum in Pocomoke City featuring Collections.


Saturday, March 29, 2014
 From 6 pm until 9 pm
 Pocomoke Elks Lodge
1944 Worcester Hwy.
 
The Past and Present Fundraiser will exhibit local collections.
 
Tickets are $15 and all proceeds go to structural repairs for the Costen House Museum.
 
 The Costen House is the Victorian Italianate home of Dr. Isaac Costen, the first mayor of Pocomoke.
 
 The museum was founded in order to exhibit the life of a small town and Doctor I. T. Costen and his family as they lived from 1870-1920. 
 
Hors d'oeuvres will be served.
 
If you would like to exhibit your collection or get tickets to this event go to costenhousemuseum.org, visit Market Street Boutique at 145-A Market Street or the Pocomoke Area Chamber of Commerce at 6 Market Street or call 410-957-1919. 

Donations for repair of the Costen House may also be made for a private donation matching funds grant for up to $5000, available until the end of February.

 The Costen House would like to thank First Shore Federal for its generous donation of $500.


FOR MORE INFO
Contact:
Rita Ullmann