Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Worcester County Sheriff Mason Thanks the Community For Their Overwhelming Support In the Loss of K-9 Ike


SINCE 1742
WORCESTER COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER
ONE WEST MARKET STREET, ROOM 1001
SNOW HILL, MARYLAND 21863-1072

410-632-1111
Reggie T. Mason,
Sheriff



Dear Worcester County Community,

Friday we honored and celebrated the life of K-9 Deputy Sheriff Ike, Badge MSP K-9 #3050 who has entered K-9 Heaven.  Our hearts are broken and I ask you God to take good care of Ike and spread the word what a faithful and loyal protector he was to CPL Larmore, CPL Larmore’s family, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, all Law Enforcement, and to our Worcester County citizens.

Not every dog that enters K-9 Training makes the grade to become a K-9. It’s extremely difficult training, but Ike you made it.  Not everyone can be a K-9 Handler, it takes a special person that can care and love a K-9 (24) hours a day, (7) days a week, CPL Larmore was the right handler for IKE.

A K-9 and its handler bond together and become best friends.  CPL Larmore and Ike shared so much together their trust and love for each other.

CPL Larmore and Ike faced many assignments, some very dangerous, tracking suspects, entering a building never knowing what the outcome could be, drug searches, traffic stops and other rewarding assignments such as finding lost children or adults.

Ike you have answered your last call. Our K-9’s will continue to carry on their duties protecting us, however they will miss you Ike. 
      Ike never took a sick leave day.
Ike never received a pay check.
Ike never complained about the long hours he worked.
Ike never requested a day off.
Ike never asked for anything.
Ike loved his job doing what he was trained to do, protecting CPL Larmore.

Ike we could only provide you with food, and medical expenses, but Ike I want you to know how much we loved and cared about you, you were one of us, protector of the peace.

Ike, God is waiting for you; also a gentle giant Deputy First Class Brian Heller lost in the line of duty in (2000) will be there for you.  Ike your new assignment is taking care of Brian.

Chris, Emily and family, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office shares your sorrow and we want to thank you for providing Ike with a loving home and most of all your love for him.

God bless Ike, the Larmores, the men and women of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, our K-9’s, Law Enforcement.

I would like to especially thank the Worcester County Community for their overwhelming out pouring of support for our office and the men, women, and K-9s that dedicate their lives to serve to make our community a great place to live.

Ike (Semper Fi)

Sincerely,

Reggie Mason
Worcester County Sheriff



Lt. Edward C. Schreier
Worcester County Sheriff's Office

Press Release: Delegate McDermott Addresses MDOT Spending on RT 113


Paving with Silver & Gold
Election year politics at its finest!
by Delegate Mike McDermott

(Berlin) Yesterday, the Department of Transportation will announce that they have found around $50 million with which they may continue to construct another section of RT 113 in Worcester County. Costs being what they are in Maryland, when all is said and done, we will see another 3 miles of paved highway. This is always a good thing when it comes to traffic safety for our residents and those who travel our roadways.
It might fascinate some to know that the cost of this project is actually about $60 million if you combine the previous $11 million distribution for property purchases and the actual design/construction phases of the road build, that comes out to $16 million per mile! How would you like to have that contract? Maybe there is a requirement to substitute silver and gold for the normal asphalt.
It is noteworthy that the Democratic administrations scan the political horizon before spending money on projects such as RT 113. This time is no different. In fact, they have headlined the “show” with a grand announcement today in Berlin, where two elected officials received top billing on their news release: Senator Jim Mathias and Delegate Norm Conway.
While Norm and Jim take a bow, let’s consider this “carrot on a string” approach to highway safety. Since this project began, if the state had paved merely 1 mile per year it would have been completed over 20-years ago. At the current rate (with all the optimism one can muster), this project could take another 15-20 years for completion.
If Highway User Revenues were distributed to actually build roads and bridges, we would be talking about the new project to 4-lane RT 90 into Ocean City, and the days of our family members traveling on a 2-lane version of RT 113 would be a distant memory. Sadly, that is not the case.
The lion’s share of our Highway User Revenues is going to fund Mass Transit Projects like the Red Line and the Purple Line in the metropolitan areas of our state. Even though only 6% of our population uses these systems, they receive over half of our transportation funding.
We have an abysmal rate of fare recovery in Baltimore City for the bus system/mass transit (we pay roughly 80%) and we paid out hundreds of millions for the ICC which is not receiving the traffic counts projected. The failure to require a revenue stream from the metro core to pay for mass transit projects is appalling. In fact, we are the only state in the Union that does not have such a mechanism.
So as we celebrate another 3 miles of paving on one of our highest traffic count roadways for commerce and tourism, let us not forget that these are mere scraps that fall to us from the king’s table every election year.

K-9 Ike Remembered In Memorial

K-9 Ike answered  his last call on Saturday, May 3, 2014  while on duty with his handler Cpl. Chris Larmore of the Worcester County Sheriff's Office.

Ike had been on duty for 3 years and was a valued member of the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office.

He was loved and adored and will be missed by all officers of the law along with his handler and family.

Worcester County Sheriff's Office Photo
Worcester County Sheriff's Office Photo

Sheriff Mason and the Sheriff's Office  held a Memorial Service for K-9 IKE on May 9th, 2014 at the Pocomoke Fire Department Community Center located on Market Street. The ceremony was well attended by Law Enforcement Agencies across the region along with many community members.

Worcester County Sheriff's  Office Photo
Worcester County Sheriff's Office Photo
Donations may be made to the WCSO K9 Unit, Attention Heather Horner, 1 West Market Street Room 1001, Snow Hill MD 21863 OR Worcester County Animal Control at the same address. 




K9 Ike - LODD Memorial Service from Rob Korb on Vimeo.


RIP K-9 Ike.

2013 Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty

FBI Releases 2013 Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line of Duty 

May 12, 2014

Preliminary statistics released today by theFBI show that 27 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2013, a decrease of more than 44 percent when compared to the 49 officers killed in 2012. By region, 15 officers died as a result of criminal acts that occurred in the South, six officers in the West, four officers in the Midwest, and two in the Northeast.

 By circumstance, seven officers were killed as a result of ambushes (four during unprovoked attacks and three due to entrapment/premeditated situations). Five officers died from injuries inflicted as a result of answering disturbance calls (three of which were domestic disturbances), and five officers were engaged in tactical situations. Three officers sustained fatal injuries while they were investigating suspicious persons or circumstances, three were conducting traffic pursuits or stops, and three officers were responding to robberies in progress or pursuing robbery suspects. One officer was killed as a result of an investigative activity.

Offenders used firearms in 26 of the 27 felonious deaths. These included 19 incidents with handguns, five incidents with rifles, and two incidents with shotguns. One victim officer was killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.

Nineteen of the slain officers were confirmed to be wearing body armor at the times of the incidents. Six of the officers fired their own weapons, and three officers attempted to fire their service weapons. Two victim officers had their weapons stolen; one officer was killed with his own weapon.

The 27 victim officers died from injuries sustained in 26 separate incidents. Twenty-five of those incidents have been cleared by arrest or exceptional means.

An additional 49 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty in 2013. This total represents one officer more than the 48 officers who were accidentally killed in 2012. By region, 31 officers died due to accidents in the South, nine in the West, five in the Northeast, and four in the Midwest.

Twenty-three of the officers died as a result of automobile accidents, nine were struck by vehicles, and four officers were in motorcycle accidents. Four of the officers were killed due to falls, and two from accidental shootings, two from drowning, and two died as a result of a training exercise. One officer died due to electrocution and one from smoke inhalation, and one officer was killed in an aircraft accident.

Of the 23 officers who died due to automobile accidents, 14 officers were not wearing seatbelts; three of these officers were seated in parked vehicles at the times of the incidents. Eight of the victim officers were wearing seatbelts, and seatbelt use was not reported for one of the officers who was killed due to an automobile accident. That incident was still under investigation at the time of this release.

Armed Forces Appreciation Weekend This Weekend


Convicted Accomack Arsonist Tonya Bundick Has Trial Date Set

ACCOMACK COUNTY, Va.- Convicted Accomack County arsonist Tonya S. Bundick will stand trial in July on one of the 62 additional arson charges filed against her.

The jury trial for Bundick will be held Monday, July 14, in Virginia Beach. This will be the first of a possible 62 trials held for Bundick, after a judge last month approved her request to have separate trials for the additional arson counts. Bundick will be arraigned on the 62 additional charges this Friday. 

Accomack County Commonwealth Attorney Gary Agar had requested all of those 62 additional charges be bundled into one trial. However, a judge denied the Agar's request, clearing the way for separate trials.


Bndick, of Parksley, was indicted by a grand jury for an arson spree that occurred between November 2012 and April 2013 in Accomack County. 

In January, Bundick entered an Alford plea in court for one count of arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson in connection with an April 2013 fire that occurred in Melfa. A sentencing date for those two charges has not yet been set. 

Bundick's fiancé Charlie Smith, who was accused of setting a majority of the 77 fires during the four-month arson spree, pleaded guilty in October 2013 to 67 counts of arson and one count of conspiracy to commit arson. A sentencing date also has not yet been set for him.

Bundick's attorney Allan Zaleski said the additional 62 trials for Bundick will boil down to his client's word going against Smith's word. Zaleski believes Bundick will have a better chance in front of a jury on individual counts rather than if all her charges are tried together at one time.


Source:

Monday, May 12, 2014

In Case You Missed It: Tax Migration in the U.S.


Note: The following media coverage is a result of last month's release of the latest tax migration numbers from the IRS. 

Podcast: New Data on Taxpayers Fleeing High Taxes
National Taxpayers Union 5.9.14
New Data on Taxpayers Fleeing High Taxes (at 7:30)

IRS data show Florida, Texas, South Carolina are strongest tax base magnets; New York, Illinois, New Jersey least
Washington Examiner 5.6.14
Derived from individual income tax returns from 2010 and 2011, the agency’s Statistics of Income Division shows where we live, where we moved and how much we make.



High-tax states in North, Midwest are biggest losers in Gallup and IRS data
Washington Examiner 5.2.14
The other six biggest losers in the Gallup data are also among the biggest losers in the IRS numbers, including Massachusetts at 11th, Connecticut at 16th and Maryland at 18th.

Where taxpayers are fleeing and where they're headed to
Washington Examiner 5.1.14
The 2010-11 data shows that, as in the past, there is a large migration away from high-tax states to low-tax states. 

IRS NUMBERS SHOW INCOME TAX WINNERS AND LOSERS BY STATE
Human Events 4.29.14
David Craig has made reducing and eventually eliminating the state income tax his top priority as governor to keep families together.

David Craig On U.S. Dept of Education's Warning Shot to Indiana on Common Core


David Craig spent 34 years as an assistant principal and teacher in Maryland's public schools.  The following is an excerpt from his article in Human Events today about the problems with Common Core and how the U.S. Dept. of Education is penalizing Indiana for opting-out.

"What Indiana Governor Pence needs now, and what my home state of Maryland urgently needs, is to give control to teachers in the classroom. Maryland has rushed head first to adopt every federal program in the last several years including Obamacare, Common Core and EPA stormwater regulations, to name a few. The results are always the same – poor execution, millions of dollars wasted and excessive regulation and taxes."

http://www.humanevents.com/2014/05/12/dept-of-education-erects-obstacles-to-keep-states-in-common-core/

Buyers Beware of Craigslist Con with Fake Website

Craigslist.org can be a great place to find deals on used vehicles, electronics, appliances and other major items. But watch out for a new, elaborate scam that’s taking advantage of bargain hunters.
How the Scam Works:
You are browsing Craigslist for a used car, boat or other large ticket item. You see an ad for exactly what you want, and the price is lower than you’ve seen elsewhere.
You email the seller. He replies, saying the item is available, but you need to purchase it through a company called “Easy Yard Sale.” The writer claims his father recently died, and he inherited the boat or other item. He wants to sell it quickly, so he is using this service to handle logistics. You search online for the company’s name and find a website that looks completely legitimate.
In his message, the seller says you need to wire the purchase price to Easy Yard Sale, and they will handle the rest. His email reads: “They will Ñ•hÑ–p thе boat tο уοuг аddгеѕѕ, will mаkе thе tгаnÑ•fег οf thе pгοpгіеtу οntο уοuг nаmе (The documents are аlгеаdу Ñ•Ñ–gnеd bу mе аnd nοtагіzеd, ѕο thеу аге еmpοwегеd tο dο thÑ–Ñ•).”
But you guessed it! After you pay up, Easy Yard Sale and the seller both stop responding. You will never receive the item and tracking down your money will be extremely difficult.
How to Avoid Scams on Craigslist:
Follow our tips for shopping safely on Craigslist.org.
Always meet the seller and see the item for sale before purchasing. Following this one rule will help you avoid most scams on Craigslist. This is also true for housing rentals. If you can’t tour the house or apartment before renting it, it’s likely not available.
Avoid deals involving shipping or escrow services. The “Easy Yard Sale” scam is only one take on this trend. Avoid them by purchasing directly from the seller.
Never give out financial information.
Watch out for fake checks and money orders. Be aware that banks will initially accept checks, but will hold you responsible if they are later discovered to be fake.
Never wire funds or use a pre-paid debit card to transfer money to someone you don’t know. With these types of payment, once you send the money… it’s gone.

Texas Hold'em Poker Event Held At Pocomoke American Legion


The World's Most Incredible Hypnotist at the Cypress Festival

 Admission is $2. 
Shows at 6:15 pm and 8:30 pm at the Cypress Festival on Friday, June 13th.  



Sunday, May 11, 2014

COAST GUARD MEDEVACS 2 FROM CRUISE SHIP 135 MILES OFF NC COAST

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard medevaced a 25-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman Sunday from a cruise ship approximately 135 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.
Coast Guard 7th District personnel contacted Coast Guard 5th District Command Center watchstanders at approximately 4:30 p.m. Saturday, notifying them the Carnival Splendor, a 950-foot cruise ship, had two sick individuals in need of medical attention aboard approximately 410 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras.
Fifth District watchstanders contacted the Carnival Splendor, requesting the ship alter course toward North Carolina, and they agreed to conduct the medevac Sunday morning when the Carnival Splendor would be close enough for a Coast Guard helicopter to remove the sick passengers.
At approximately 4 a.m. Sunday, command center watchstanders dispatched crews aboard an MH-60 Jawhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, to assist.
The Jayhawk crew arrived on scene at approximately 5:45 a.m., hoisted two people into the helicopter and took the patients to New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the patients were reported to be in stable condition.

VIDEO

"Mother's Day" All You Can Eat Beef & Dumpling Dinner


TIME MACHINE... 1930, 1959, 1937, 1904, 1899, 1905

(Reader Friendly Viewing Of Newspaper Archive Material)

April, 1930
Salisbury Times

(Excerpt)

WEATHER REPORTERS ASSEMBLE DATA AS CLAIM FOR DIRIGIBLE BASE ON THE EASTERN SHORE

With facts provided by Cooperative Observers representing the United States Weather Bureau in various sections of the Peninsula supplemented with observations being taken at the Del-Mar-Va Airport, Hebron, the Del-Mar-Va Eastern Shore Association today announced that charts are now in the course of preparation for the purpose of supplying information for the twenty questions regarding climatic conditions which have been submitted by Commander Jerome E. Hunsaker of the Goodyear Zeppelin Association.  The data is desired as the first actual step in investigating the Del-Mar-Va Peninsula as a possible base for the Trans-Atlantic Zeppelin service.

Footnote: In January, 1930, it was reported that the Navy Department was considering the Eastern Shore as a site for one of two proposed dirigible bases. 

February, 1959
The Salisbury Times

(Excerpts)

SUPER GIANT OPENING ATTRACTS THRONGS 

Giant Food, Inc., on S. Salisbury Blvd., officially opened this morning at 9 as Mayor Jeremiah Valliant cut the ribbon to let in the customers.

Yesterday open house was held and it is believed to have drawn one of Salisbury's largest crowds. Store offiicials estimated that 25,000 or more broused through the store. "We have never had such a crowd as this. It was the biggest opening we have ever had," said John Morrison, director of supervision of Giant. During the open house at Giant yesterday afternoon S. Salisbury Blvd. was filled bumper to bumper with cars. Police Chief William J. Chatham estimated at least 15,000 cars were in the line during the five-hour open house. Extra police were put on duty.

December, 1937 (Time Machine archive)
(Daily News Record- Harrisonburg, Va.)

Warm Water Is Unused By Town

POCOMOKE CITY, Md., Dec.2. (AP)-  An underground stream of water- 85 degrees winter and summer- has been flowing under the business district here for 25 years.  And nothing has been done to utilize it.

The spring was discovered several hundred feet underground when a test well was drilled.  At that time the city was thinking of using artesian water for its city supply.  The warm water kept on flowing and was diverted through a 3-inch pipe to the Pocomoke River.

Residents attempted to form a company to operate the "Pocomoke baths," but nothing came of the venture because of lack of capital.  The water contains chloride of sodium, sulphur and magnesium compounds, engineers said.

January, 1904
The Colored American (Washington, D.C.) 

Princess Anne, Md.. Special.- An organization known as the Princess Anne Academy Building Fund Guild was formed Monday night.  The students of Princess Anne Academy believe in self-help and therefore, they have organized themselves into raising money to form the nucleus of a building fund.  They feel the need of a building having larger facilities. They believe if they help themselves first, others will come to their aid.

February, 1899
The Evening Times (Washington, D.C.)

Pocomoke Smallpox Cases.

Pocomoke City, Md., Feb. 23.-  Mayor Stevenson states that the rumors concerning the severity of the smallpox cases in Pocomoke are entirely false, and that the victims have been removed to the country, a long distance from the city. Dr. Fulton, in a letter to the mayor, says the cases are very mild and no likelihood of its spreading, as the families of the victims are strictly quarintined.

May, 1905
(The Daily News- Frederick, Md) 

Eastern Shore farmers and housewives are in a dilemma on account of the cooks and farmhands leaving their employers for the strawberry fields.

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!

Navy Pays a Penny To Get Rid of Carrier

(CNN) — For the second time in two years, the U.S. Navy is parting with one of its aircraft carriers for a penny.
The Navy announced Thursday it’s paying ESCO Marine of Brownsville, Texas, one cent to take the former USS Saratoga off its hands for dismantling and recycling.
The warship was decommissioned in 1994. It is now at Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island and is expected to be towed to Texas in the summer, the Navy said.
The 56,000-ton Saratoga was commissioned in 1956 and saw action off North Vietnam in 1972 and 1973.
In 1985, fighters from the Saratoga helped capture terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro in the Mediterranean, forcing a jetliner carrying them to land at an air base in Sicily.
The carrier was also part of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and air operations over the Balkans in 1992, 1993 and 1994, according to Navy records.
The Saratoga will follow the former USS Forrestal to dismantling in Texas. That ship was towed to All Star Metals of Brownsville earlier this year, with the Navy paying a penny to the ship recycler under a contract awarded last October.
The recyclers make money from selling the metal they salvage from the warships.
A third carrier, the former USS Constellation, is expected to meet a similar fate soon, according to a Navy statement.

FREE ~ Rain Garden Workshop


Somerset County Sheriff's Office Recent Arrests

Somerset County (MD) Sheriff's Office

Recent Arrest

Anthony Arzynell Butler Jr.,  Baltimore, arrested 3-27-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Butler was held on a $500.00 bond.

Tuesday Linton Thornes,  Crisfield, arrested 3-28-14 on a warrant for violation of probation. Thornes was held on a $10,000 bond.

Ronnie Lee Gale,  Crisfield, arrested 4-1-14 on a warrant for failing to obey a court order. Gail was held without bond.

Jay Ferrell Jr.,  Prince George County, arrested 4-2-14 for driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired by alcohol, driving on a suspended driver’s license, and a repair order. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies on Ocean Highway for an equipment violation. Ferrell was later released on citations pending court actions.

Aaron Daniels,   Wenona, arrested 4-3-14 for obstructing and hindering police. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies in the area of Somerset Ave, Princess Anne for a stop sign violation. Deputies allege that Daniels was concealing suspected drugs in his mouth, and when deputies attempted to retrieve the suspected drug, Daniels attempted to flee on foot and was apprehended. Daniels was later released on criminal citations pending court actions.

Tia Inez Shaw,   Baltimore, arrested 4-3-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Shaw was held on a $500.00 bond.

Dagvon Tymar Mills,  Snow Hill, arrested 4-4-14 on a warrant for violation of probation. Mills was held without bond.

William Gerald Peacock 4th,  Portsmouth Virginia, arrested 4-8-14 on a fugitive warrant. Peacock was held without bond.

Keshawn Terrell Kellan,  Parksley Virginia, arrested 4-11-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Kellam was later released after posting a $5,000 bond.

Five juveniles arrested at the Deal Island Harbor for underage drinking. While on patrol, deputies investigated a truck parked at the harbor. During the investigation, deputies recovered wine, and beer. The juveniles were charged with underage possession of alcohol, and released to family members pending court actions.


Deshawn Maurice Taylor,  Princess Anne, arrested 4-12-14 for reckless endangerment, malicious destruction of property, fleeing and eluding police in a vehicle, disorderly conduct, driving on a suspended and revoked driver’s license, and multiple traffic citations. Deputies attempted to stop Taylor who was driving a Lincoln Town car in the area of Bratten Ave, Princess Anne, when Taylor instead of stopping took deputies a small chase that ended up in the Somers Place Apartment Complex where Taylor bailed from his vehicle leaving to collide into two clusters of US mail boxes, and almost striking a small child who was riding a bicycle. Taylor was later held on a $50,000 bond.

Charles Edward Collins,  Mt. Vernon, arrested 4-18-14 for 4th degree burglary, and theft less than $1,000. The arrest was the result of a theft investigation where deputies alleged that Collins removed a water pump, lawn mower, and a weed eater from an outdoor shed, on a property in Mt.Vernon. Collins was later released on a $5,000 unsecured bond.

Tamera Lynn Wheatley,  Salisbury, arrested 4-26-14 for possession of cocaine, possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Wheatley was later released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conducted by deputies in the area of Hampden Ave, Princess Anne for a traffic violation. Deputies later recovered suspected powder cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana.

Don Benjamin Ballard,  Princess Anne, arrested 4-29-14 on a warrant for violation of probation. Ballard was later held without bond.

Akeem Khallid Claggett,  Princess Anne, arrested 4-30-14 for possession of suspected marijuana, possession with the intent to distribute marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Claggett was later held on a $25,000 bond. The arrest was the result of a search and seizure warrant served by deputies at the Arden’s Run Apartment Complex in Princess Anne. Deputies later recovered suspected marijuana, and drug paraphernalia.

Timothy John Byrd,  Parsonsburg, arrested 5-1-14 on a warrant for failing to appear in court. Byrd was held on a $500.00 bond.

Wallace Douglas Thomas, Crisfield, Criminal Summons served 5-1-14 for theft less than $500.00, and passing a bad check. Thomas was released on signature pending court actions.

Troy Jerome Taylor,  Salisbury, arrested 5-2-14 on two warrants regarding violation of probation. Taylor was later held without bond.


Brandon Morgan Sherbes,  Deal Island, arrested 5-5-14 on a Hartford County warrant for failing to appear in court. Sherbes was held without bond pending extradition. The arrest was the result of a traffic stop conduted by deputies on Deal Island Rd, Princess Anne.

Saturday, May 10, 2014

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview

1930.. Eastern Shore trying for a dirigible base; 1959.. Salisbury super market opening draws unexpected throngs; 1937.. A use for naturally heated warm water that flows under Pocomoke City?; 1904.. Self-help, the students are raising money to aid the Princess Anne Academy building fund; 1899.. Pocomoke City mayor counters smallpox rumors; 1905.. The local strawberries made me do it!

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at 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!

Coming Soon: 21st Annual "Drums On the Pocomoke"


Distracted Driving Tickets Skyrocket In MD


Maryland State Police records show that tickets for distracted driving offenses have skyrocketed since driving while using a hand-held cellphone became a primary offense in October. 

The Frederick News-Post reported Friday that troopers issued nearly 6,800 electronic tickets for such offenses in the seven months from October through April. That's more than the 5,000 electronic tickets they issued for distracted driving in all of 2013.

 Electronic tickets are printed by devices in patrol cars that scan a driver's license.The figures don't include handwritten tickets.

Before last October, driving while using a hand-held cellphone was a secondary offense, meaning drivers couldn't be stopped for that reason alone.

 The State Farm insurance company says drivers should either pull over to text or ask a passenger to send the message. 

Source:

Friday, May 9, 2014

GOP Candidate Forum May 9


Media Advisory: GOP candidate forum May 9

What: 
The Center for the Study of Democracy at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the Maryland Public Policy Institute will co-sponsor a policy forum for Republican candidates for Maryland governor.

When:  
Fri, May 09, 2014 | 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Where: 
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Auerbach Auditorium of St. Mary's Hall
8952 E. Fishers Road, St. Mary's City, MD 20686

Who: 
David Craig
Ron George
Charles Lollar

Hogan: In Gubernatorial Debate, Democrats Promote Failed Policies of Past Eight Years


Annapolis, MD – May 8, 2014 – Republican candidate for governor of Maryland today issued the following statement on last night’s Democratic gubernatorial debate:

Last night's gubernatorial debate proved what many of us have already known for months:  The Democratic candidates are out of touch with the struggles and harsh economic realities that Marylanders of all walks of life face every day.  All three candidates actively promoted a job-killing and regressive economic agenda that hiked 40 consecutive taxes, hurting the state's low-income and middle class families, and causing a 75 percent increase in unemployment and a mass exodus of 31,000 taxpayers.

“The cold hard fact is that Maryland simply cannot afford four more years of the same policies that Mr. Brown, Mr. Gansler, and Ms. Mizeur represent.  Marylanders need jobs, need to keep more of their hard earned money, and need leadership that will restore integrity to state government.  None of these candidates will usher in a new era of growth and economic stability that we deserve.

Marylanders demand change; and that's exactly what we'll give them in November.

####

About Hogan-Rutherford

Larry Hogan is an Anne Arundel county small businessman, former state cabinet secretary and founder of Change Maryland, the state’s largest non-partisan grassroots organization advocating fiscal restraint and common sense government reform.  A lifelong Marylander, he and his wife Yumi, a teacher, artist and first generation Korean-American, reside in Edgewater.  They have three daughters.

Boyd Rutherford is an accomplished attorney with a record of distinguished public service leadership as Secretary of the MD Dept of General Services, and an Asst. Secretary in the US Dept of Agriculture who was unanimously confirmed by the US Senate.  Boyd has extensive legal, small business and minority enterprise development experience.  He and his wife Monica live in Columbia, Maryland. They have three adult children.

DEA’S NATIONAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG TAKE-BACK DAYS MEET A GROWING NEED FOR AMERICANS

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Americans nationwide showed their support for the United States Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA’s) National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day program by dropping off more prescription pills than ever this past Saturday. 

 After seven previous Take Back Days spread over almost four years, 780,158 pounds (390 tons) of pills were brought to the 6,072 collection sites that DEA and its 4,423 state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners set up on April 26 so the public could discard unwanted, unused and expired prescription drugs from medicine cabinets, bedside tables, and kitchen drawers.  When added to that collected at previous DEA-coordinated Take-Back events, 4.1 million pounds (2,123 tons) of prescription medications have been removed from circulation. 

 “DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back events provide an obviously needed and valued service to the public, while also reducing prescription drug abuse and trafficking,” said DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart.  “By taking these medications off their hands, our citizens know they have made their own families and communities safer.  We continue to work toward making the process for disposing of controlled substance medications by users and their caregivers even easier by creating regulations that will enable the public to regularly, safely, and conveniently dispose of such medicines when they are no longer needed or wanted.”


The National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day aims to provide a safe, secure, and environmentally responsible means of disposing of prescription drugs, while also educating the general public about the potential for abuse and trafficking of medications.  This is important because the non-medical use of controlled substance (CS) medications is at an all-time high, with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) released in 2013.  That same study revealed more than 54 percent of people who abuse prescription pain relievers got them through friends or relatives, a statistic that includes raiding the family medicine cabinet. 


The DEA’s Take-Back events are a significant piece of the Obama administration’s strategy for preventing prescription drug abuse and trafficking, which also includes education of health care providers, patients, parents and youth; enhancing and encouraging the establishment of prescription drug monitoring programs in all the states; and increased enforcement to address doctor shopping and pill mills.


Take-Back Days are presently needed because the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) as originally written didn’t provide a way for patients, caregivers, and pet owners to dispose of such CS medications as painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants like ADHD drugs.  People were flushing their old meds down the toilet or throwing them in the trash. 


DEA launched its first Take-Back event in September 2010, after which the President signed  the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which amended the CSA to allow people, including residents of long term care facilities, to regularly, conveniently, and safely dispose of their CS medications by delivering them to entities authorized by the Attorney General to accept them. DEA is in the process of finalizing regulations to implement the Act, publishing on December 21, 2012, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Disposal of Controlled Substances (available [here] on our website) that presented possible disposal options.


American Pickers Are Coming To Your Town





Coast Guard Completes 13-hour Tow of Disabled Boat Off North Carolina Coast

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people Thursday aboard a disabled boat approximately 50 miles southeast of Bald Head Island, North Carolina.

Henry Fischer, aboard the 33-foot sport fishing boat Atlanta, contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders at approximately 5:15 p.m. Wednesday requesting assistance after his boat lost steering.

Sector watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Oak Island, North Carolina, to assist.

The MLB crew arrived on scene at approximately 10 p.m. Wednesday and placed the Atlanta in tow.

A second crew from Station Oak Island got underway aboard a 25-foot Response Boat - Small at approximately 4:25 a.m. Thursday to relieve the first crew from their tow. The second crew took over at approximately 5:30 a.m.

The RB-S crew towed the Atlanta into Southport Marina in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and moored the vessel at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday.

There are no reports of injuries.

U. S. Coast Guard

HEROIN DEALER IN POPLAR GROVE AREA OF BALTIMORE SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS IN PRISON

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sentenced Isiah Robinson, age 27, of Baltimore, to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Acting Special Agent in Charge William P. McMullan of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Anthony W. Batts of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein.

According to his plea agreement and court documents, from January to July 23, 2013, Robinson conspired with his father, Darryl Robinson Sr., and others to distribute heroin from an open-air drug "shop" in the Poplar Grove neighborhood of Baltimore. On a daily basis, the co-conspirators bought heroin, stored the drugs at stash houses throughout Baltimore City and packaged the drugs to sell on the streets. Isiah Robinson personally sold heroin to customers in Baltimore City while also supervising and directing other street-level dealers.

During the conspiracy, Isiah Robinson and others conspired to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute at least a kilogram of heroin.

Darryl Robinson, age 49, of Baltimore, a leader of the drug trafficking organization, previously pleaded guilty to his participation in the conspiracy and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised the ATF, Baltimore Police Department, and Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Clinton J. Fuchs and Scott Lemmon, who prosecuted the case.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

THANKS FOR THE VISIT

Many  of you may not know that I am once again back  in Johns Hopkins Hospital fighting leukemia.

Things are going very well and I just have but a few days left to stay.  JHH is quite a distance from my beloved Pocomoke but I have learned to cope with the homesickness.

And I DO get excited over visitors from home!  

My Pocomoke visitors for today were Pocomoke City Police Chief Kelvin Sewell and his lovely wife Rhonda who were  in the Baltimore area for the day.  

SO WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU GUYS !!

ARSON SUSPECT ARRESTED

Marguees K.Wise
On May 4, 2014 Pocomoke City Police responded to a call for a reported Attempted Arson. 

Upon arriving Police learned the suspect had attempted to set fire to a home while the residents were asleep, then left the area on foot. Police canvassed the area, locating the suspect. 

Arrested was Marguees K. Wise, age 21 of Pocomoke City, MD. Wise was charged with 1st degree Arson, 2nd degree Arson, 1st degree Attempted Murder and 2nd degree Attempted Murder.

Wise was held without bond at the Worcester County Detention Center.

Pocomoke City Police Department

TIME MACHINE ... This Sunday's Preview.

1930.. Eastern Shore trying for a dirigible base; 1959.. Salisbury super market opening draws unexpected throngs; 1937.. A use for naturally heated warm water that flows under Pocomoke City?; 1904.. Self-help, the students are raising money to aid the Princess Anne Academy building fund; 1899.. Pocomoke City mayor counters smallpox rumors; 1905.. The local strawberries made me do it!

Although you may not find all of these items in a history book, they are a part of our local history and you can read more about it this Sunday right here at 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!