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SNOW HILL -- Dental records could reveal the identity of a body unearthed on a Snow Hill property as soon as Thursday.
Until then, Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd won't confirm rumors that the skeletal remains found on the grounds of a Snow Hill inn are those of missing Delaware woman Christine Sheddy.
"It would be inappropriate to comment on the identification," he said. "I don't know who this is. At this point we're referring to the person as Jane Doe. The Maryland Medical Examiner will have to make that determination."
Sheddy was last seen Nov. 13, 2007, at a residence outside Pocomoke City. The single mother of three was 27 years old when she vanished without a trace, police said. Local groups searched for her with no results, and her story had been featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted."
The remains were found by investigators Feb. 19 buried on the property of the River House Inn, a bed and breakfast adjacent to a municipal parking lot and the Pocomoke River in downtown Snow Hill. Todd said the discovery came as a total surprise to the couple that owns the inn.
The remains were taken to the state Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore, where the woman's body will be checked against dental records of known missing persons. Sheddy's dental records will be included among those because she's known to police as a reported missing person.
Members of the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff's Office, Worcester County Bureau of Investigation and the Worcester State's Attorney's Office were led to the site Feb. 19 as part of a larger investigation, Todd said.
Police said in a statement that the remains were found after several hours of searching. Only a pair of shoes and blue jeans were found with the body. Todd said no clear cause of death was apparent, nor was it clear how long the body had been there.
KITTY HAWK, N.C. A beached whale was discovered dead in Kitty Hawk, N.C. Sunday, according to Officer Gard with the Dare County police.
The whale was a 10-12-foot Pilot whale, and was sick when it died, said the Marine Stranding team. They will do an autopsy (necropsy) on the mammal to determine its cause of death. Dare County police say they are waiting for scientists from Wilmington, N.C., to complete the autopsy (necropsy).
The Marine Stranding team called on ABC Towing in Kitty Hawk to remove the animal from the beach.
MANASSAS, Va. — A teacher at a high school in Manassas is accused of sex offenses against a 16-year-old former student.
Manassas police say they got information last week about inappropriate conduct between 49-year-old Kevin Ricks of Federalsburg, Md., and a teenage boy. The victim is a former student at Osbourn High School, where Ricks teaches.
Ricks was arrested and charged with carnal knowledge, aggravated sexual battery and two counts of indecent liberties while in a supervisory position.
Police say the sexual contact took place at a Manassas home in December and January. Ricks is being held without bail.
OE is writing the final chapter of Nictitate and the groupies drama. It is with sadness that OE writes this chapter because a beautiful young woman’s life has been taken. The mother of three will never come home to her children and they will have to go on in life knowing that there are bad people out there who do bad things all the while pretending to be a friend. Sadly this is what our world has come to.
Realistically, we all were fairly sure that something terrible had happened to Christine. When we all spent time searching for her, it was remains that we were looking for. Even so, confirmation of our thoughts has cast a sorrowful shadow over everyone.
Along came a spider named Nictitate spinning her web of lies and deceit. She and her 3 ring circus of groupies hanging from her nest spreading their tales have done nothing but dish out a lot of hurt at many people. The accusations have been ruthless and no one was spared any kindness from this bunch. It brings to mind a picture of a pack of wild dogs running unrestrained from attacking anything that moves.
Instead of issuing the many apologies that are owed, once again Nictitate has publicly blamed the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company for Christine’s death. As the spokesperson for Christine’s family, she announced that had the PVFD investigated the fires on Byrd Road, Christine would not have been murdered. In Chapter 5 of Odor on Nictitate OE clearly explained who is responsible for investigating fires. OE will say it one more time – The Fire Marshalls Office investigates fires not the VFD’s. PVFD puts out fires and has nothing to do with any investigation of a fire. Got it?
It is beyond OE’s understanding that why, at this time is Nictitate blaming people? She should be grieving along with Christine’s family and should be relieved that Christine has finally been found. Does Nictitate imagine that her statement will bring hoards of press to her as someone “in the know”?
Of course the Pocomoke Tattler has used the blog as a forum to launch political attacks. While they may be right about Mayor McDermott they don’t have the knowledge, manners, or breeding to know that Christine’s murder and the finding of her remains is not something to use as a forum for their ranting of conspiracies. Billy Burke defined the purpose of the blog in a recent post – “ The purpose of the Pocomoke Tattler is to expose corruption & incontinence in the Pocomoke city government”. Is he talking about fecal, urinary, or philosophical incontinence? Check the word out on Wikipedia.
Maybe the owners of the blog should explain why they withheld postings from a person claiming to be JR. In one of those postings this person said that we were “way off” in finding her when we had the big search in March. A conspiracy was launched by the owners when they conspired to withhold evidence. Sources tell OE that the evidence would not have come forth unless a citizen had not informed LE about these posts. Contrary to claims made LE did not tell the owners to withhold the postings. After LE questioned the owners, all of the postings magically appeared on the Pocomoke Tattler.
Accusations of LE persons withholding and tampering with evidence in the Sheddy case has been said and Billy and Stephanie Burke have used Christine as an avenue to spew forth their hatred of authorities in Pocomoke and at people who don’t agree with them or that they don’t like.
It’s clear that Nictitate and her groupies know nothing about what lead LE to finding Christine. No, someone did not have the “cajones to come forward” with information in this case. At this time OE will not say anymore. But OE can say that Nictitate and the groupies had nothing to do with the info that LE received. A piece of advice to Nictitate and her groupies - if you’re going to say something make sure you know what you are talking about.
Some people have not appreciated anything that the people of Pocomoke have done to try and find Christine. OE would like to say “thank you” to all of the many fine people of the City and surrounding area for all of the hard work and time put forth to find Christine and for opening up your arms to welcome her family in their search for her. It has been an exemplary example of how a community can come together for a common cause.
Time will tell all. Unfortunately, Nictitate and her groupies were visited upon all of us and managed to divide people. We have endured. Nictitate and the groupies will be left to go on their way. They will find other victims to feed of off. Unfortunately in their quest for fame they have managed to announce to the world things that could jeopardize the case. Blabbing everything that one knows doesn’t do anything but give information to the accused. How stupid!
OE is glad to be writing this last chapter about Odor on Nictitate and will now tell the meaning of the title – Stink on Blink! From the very beginning this person smelled. The odor of deceit lies heavily around her. One can smell it from a distance and know that this is evil. She launched her lies by pretending to be a new investigator on Christine’s case and started collecting her groupies to launch a rainstorm of untruths and hatred upon us. She was immediately “outed” and her real purpose was exposed – writing a book. This book is what spurred OE’s tale in order to get at the truth instead of allowing Blink to write made up stories. There is something seriously wrong with this person.
The International Seer Society also visited us. Those claiming to “see” where Christine was were nowhere near being correct. While their claims hampered searches for Christine one has to admit that this part of the tale provided much amusement. Who knows, maybe there are people out there who “see” things but OE doesn’t believe that any of those people visited us. Those who did visit us wasted much time and energy in the search for Christine but one can shrug it off and say “oh well” it was all for the cause of trying to find her. We will miss “man with a stick” although misguided in his methods he appeared to be genuine about finding Christine. I imagine that us “inbreeds” will talk about this for a long time!
May Christine rest in peace and may her family find closure to this horrible story. May her children grow up to be strong, healthy, and good people. May those responsible be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and may they rot in hell. Just remember, the State of Maryland does have the death penalty!
Bye, Bye Blink!
Note: For those of you who want to highjack writings from OE – DON’T. Any writings contributed by Odor Eliminator belong to The Pocomoke Public Eye exclusively and all rights are reserved. You may not copy and paste, dissect, snip, or use any of OE’s writings in any part or its entirety without prior written consent.
Just click on the following link, put your first name or any message in the message window. Wait a few moments after clicking on "submit" to see your name or message in the snow. Cool. Hope it works for you. You can type in any name or message and the penguin will begin his/her (?) work. How does this work, you ask? I have no idea, but it does! MESSAGE IN THE SNOW CLICK HERE
For whatever reason I listened to the (Kanuks) David Pretzer radio show and low and behold he had a snip of the self renowned Blink on the show tonight.
While holding my gag reflex I managed to endure the 2 minuets of the "B" on the Kanuks radio show, and true to her embellishing, signifying, self she managed to blame the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department AGAIN for the murder of Christine Sheddy.
Saying that if the original fires at the Byrd road farm had properly been investigated by the PVFD Christine Sheddy would not have been murdered.
Good-grief is this woman delusional or what? Oh but she has "inside sources" yea right!! No one in this city would give her the time of day, not if they have at least one brain cell anyway.
I can't believe "B" had the gall to say that the PVFD has any responsibility at all in the murder of Christine, what in the hell is wrong with her?
That's like saying because Osama Bin Ladens mother gave birth to him it's her fault that planes flew into the towers on 911. Geeze........ What a "B"
Blink is doing whatever she can to make this about HER.
DATE & TIME: February 19, 2010 at 10:00 Am Case # CBI# 10-0000116 LOCATION: E. Market Street Snow hill, Worcester County MD CRIME: Human Skeletal Remains Recovered VICTIM: Unknown
NARRATIVE:
On February 19, 2010 The Worcester Co. Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which is comprised of criminal investigators from the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Department and Berlin Police Department, developed information on the location of possible human remains located at East Market Street Snow Hill Maryland.
From information learned, Investigators from CBI, assisted by MSP Homicide Unit and MSP Crime Lab actively pursued the area of interest. After several hours of searching, human skeletal remains were unearthed.
On Friday, February 19, 2010 the Worcester County’s Forensic Investigator for the office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office – (OCME) responded to the scene and examined the remains of the deceased. The Forensic Investigator advised the deceased remains would be transported to the OCME’s office for autopsy.
The investigation is continuing. INVESTIGATING DETECTIVE: Detective Alex Kagan, (WCBI) Supervisor’s: Sgt. H. Scott Brent, and Sgt. Van Muir (WCBI)
WMDT Channel 47 reported this, I guess last night. Maybe alot of you know it by now. Let's hope it is Christine and the nightmare is over for her family.......finally. It's way past time.
Update: Remains Found - Latest News by - Katherine Amenta
SNOW HILL, Md. - A tiny bed and breakfast in Snow Hill could very well be a crime scene tonight. Human remains were found buried in the backyard this weekend. So, could it be a break in the Christine Sheddy case? Investigators said it is too soon to tell.
"It's a shock, because Snow Hill is a very quiet town," said Snow Hill resident Jim Adcock. But, that quiet was broken on Thursday.
"We did receive information that there were remains at a location in Snow Hill," said Worcester County Deputy State's Attorney Mike Farlow. The tip led the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation to the "River House Inn" Bed and Breakfast on East Market Street. "The owners of the property were informed Friday morning that there was potential evidence on their property," said Farlow.
Human skeletal remains were found in "River House's" backyard. By Saturday morning, the dirt was back in place and detectives were leaving the scene. The State's Attorney's office said based on clothing, they do consider the body a female. But, they won't speculate on whether or not this could be the body of missing Pocomoke woman, 26 year old Christine Sheddy. Sheddy was last seen November 13, 2007 in Pocomoke City.
We spoke with Christine's mother when Christine was first reported missing; "It's been over a month now and still no Christine," Lynn Dodenhoff said in 2007. "If anyone can help us find her, one way or another, we just need to bring her home."
It is still unclear how long the remains were buried. The State's Attorney's office said after all the recent snow, it is difficult to know what kind of condition the grass was in. There was no answer at the property when we knocked.
The State's Attorney's office said a positive identification on the remains could come by the end of next week.
Local law enforcement agencies are investigating human remains that were discovered buried in a parcel of land near the Snow Hill municipal parking lot.
Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd said “it would be inappropriate to comment” on whether the body was that of missing woman Christine Sheddy. Sheddy disappeared from a Pocomoke-area farm house in November 2007.
Officials from the Maryland State Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Worcester County Bureau of investigation and Worcester County State’s Attorney’s Office were led to the site as part of a larger investigation, Todd said.
The remains, which were found with a pair of shoes and some jeans, will be sent to the state Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore.
Todd said he did not know how long the body had been there, and declined to comment any further for the sake of the investigation.
WHAAAAAAAT???? Did he say he is a moderate? Whaaaaaahahahaha
Ya see, the trouble with "partisanship" in the eyes of a liberal is that if you do not agree with their agenda 100% they say you're "partisan" if by chance a conservative does agree, that agreement must be a total agreement or they are labeled by the left as "partisan". It's real simple. The leftist way or the highway!
February 19, 2010
Friends - I want to pass along the following OPED that was published this morning in the Cecil Whig. It expresses the concerns and frustrations I have had with the hyper partisanship in Washington, DC over the last year. If you have any comments or questions please feel free to contact my office.
With warm regards,
Rep. Frank M. Kratovil, Jr.
Bipartisanship vital now more than ever
Published: Friday, February 19, 2010
On Presidents Day, we learned that two-term senator from Indiana, Evan Bayh, was the next in a line of senior members of Congress who have announced that they are not seeking re-election. Bayh cited the lack of bi-partisanship on Capitol Hill as his reason for retirement, saying “there is too much partisanship and not enough progress — too much narrow ideology and not enough practical problem-solving.”
Since coming to Congress a little over a year ago I have been confronted with the same frustrations and have been searching to find consensus among my colleagues in a more and more contentious environment.
Bayh’s retirement strikes a particular chord among moderates like me. Bayh was known as a legislator who was willing to cross party lines and put principle before politics.
In trying times we need more men and women of similar character in Congress; but instead the system has forced a good deal of them to throw up their hands and give way to the more extremist factions of both parties.
In our history as a nation we have had the most success when we have legislated from the middle. The best ideas get their start with compromise and a willingness to negotiate across the aisle, not through the political bickering that only leads to entrenched ideologies where anyone’s success equals another’s political failure.
Many who have made bi-partisanship the hallmarks of their career, have ultimately lost faith in a system that seemingly rewards partisanship and favors those who fail to compromise. After more than a year in Congress I believe that we can change this failing system and bring back the type of government that the American people want and deserve.
One area where this change can begin is budget reform. We agree that as a nation we can no longer afford to spend money that we do not have. For the sake of future generations we need to make the tough choices that American families are faced with every day. Neither party has a monopoly on good ideas, so instead of political posturing we need to come to the table and figure out a way to reform the budget process so that debt and deficits no longer threaten everything from our economy to our national security.
In my short tenure, I have tried to work with colleagues from both sides of the aisle and fought for initiatives that would encourage more openness, cooperation, and bipartisanship in Congress.
I remain dedicated to governing with the independent spirit that my constituents deserve and will continue to seek compromise and consensus while urging colleagues to do the same. If we can do this then we can make the changes to our system that will once again welcome legislators of good conscience who seek to put politics aside and move our country in the right direction.
U.S. Rep. Frank M. Kratovil Jr. is the congressman from Maryland’s 1st District.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the state state of Kentucky back-country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost; and being a typical man I didn't stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.
I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play. The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man. And as I played 'Amazing Grace ‘the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.
When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full. As I was opening the door to my car, I heard one of the worker say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."
Congratulations folks! Your sustained efforts at making your voices heard have resulted in the sponsor of SB516, Senator Lenett, withdrawing the bill as of Tuesday.
We know from first hand knowledge that the incredible pressure, to the tune of several hundred emails and calls a day, brought to bear upon the sponsor of this bill was responsible for the sponsor pulling it.
We have just a little time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, but we mustn’t be complacent and believe that the rest of the session will be as easy. Keep up the great work and put down the other bills that we oppose and voice your support for the others. Remember, we are only as effective as the sum effort of our individual members.
SB516 – Maryland Assault Weapons Ban of 2010 Withdrawn
Maryland – -(AmmoLand.com)- Congratulations folks! Your sustained efforts at making your voices heard have resulted in the sponsor of SB516, Senator Lenett, withdrawing the bill as of Tuesday.
We know from first hand knowledge that the incredible pressure, to the tune of several hundred emails and calls a day, brought to bear upon the sponsor of this bill was responsible for the sponsor pulling it.
We have just a little time to pat ourselves on the back for a job well done, but we mustn’t be complacent and believe that the rest of the session will be as easy. Keep up the great work and put down the other bills that we oppose and voice your support for the others. Remember, we are only as effective as the sum effort of our individual members.
What are they really trying to do? We have to wonder if these high profile bills that are garnering our community’s attention are not a distraction on two fronts. First, they are trying to dilute our efforts on the shall issue and civil immunity bills. Secondly, we think that the AWB and Gun Owner Licensing bills are feints to cover their real intentions which are to pass bills that will make it more difficult for dealers to stay in business, create a registration list of all firearms sold in Maryland and to pass legislation that will ultimately develop into the ammunition logs that we defeated last year.
If you compare the language of SB167 with some of the language contained in HB820/SB645, you will see that it is nearly identical with regards to the record keeping requirements. It is important that we continue to exert our influence on all of the bills below.
March 2
HB776 Criminal Law – Home Invasion Crime of Violence – Support
March 11
HB354 Public Safety – Possession of Ammunition for Firearms – Penalties – Oppose - backdoor justification for the ammunition logs from HB1446 last year.
HB683 Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Repeal of Finding Requirement – Strongly Support – Repeals the “good and substantial” clause for the issuance of permits to carry a handgun.
HB820 Firearm Safety Act of 2010 – Strongly Oppose – We covered our analysis of this bill here.
HB893 Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Victims of Domestic Violence – Support
HB905 Criminal Law – Prohibitions on Wearing, Carrying, or Transporting Firearms – Exceptions – Support
SB44 Criminal Law – Use of Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence or a Felony – Oppose
SB167 Regulated Firearms – Application for Dealer’s License – Record-Keeping and Reporting Requirements – Strongly Oppose – our response was covered here.
SB191 Weapon-Free Higher Education Zones – Oppose – our response was covered here.
SB274 Criminal Law – Violation of Restriction Against Possession of Firearms – Penalties – No position at this time
SB563 Public Safety – Possession of Ammunition for Firearms – Penalties – Oppose - backdoor justification for the ammunition logs from HB1446 last year.
SB645 Firearm Safety Act of 2010 – Strongly Oppose – We covered our analysis of this bill here.
SB743 Criminal Law – Handguns – Transport in Motor Vehicle by Nonresident – No position at this time
SB842 Regulated Firearms – License Issued by Another State to Current or Former Member of the Armed Forces – Reciprocity – Support
About: Maryland Shall Issue is an all volunteer, non-partisan effort dedicated to the preservation and advancement of all gunowners’ rights in Maryland, with a primary goal of CCW reform to allow all law-abiding citizens the right to carry a concealed weapon; and to the education of the community to the awareness that ’shall issue’ laws have, in all cases, resulted in decreased rates of violent crime.” Visit: www.marylandshallissue.org
Distributed to you by - AmmoLand.com – The Shooting Sports News source.
The IRS decides to audit Grandpa, and summons him to the IRS office.
The IRS auditor was not surprised when Grandpa showed up with his attorney.
The auditor said, 'Well, sir, you have an extravagant lifestyle and no full-time employment, Which you explain by saying that you win money gambling.. I'm not sure the IRS finds that believable.'
I'm a great gambler, and I can prove it,' says Grandpa. 'How about a demonstration?'
The auditor thinks for a moment and said, 'Okay. Go ahead.'
Grandpa says, 'I'll bet you a thousand dollars that I can bite my own eye.'
The auditor thinks a moment and says, 'It's a bet.'
Grandpa removes his glass eye and bites it. The auditor's jaw drops.
Grandpa says, 'Now, I'll bet you two thousand dollars that I can bite my other eye.'
Now the auditor can tell Grandpa isn't blind, so he takes the bet.
Grandpa removes his dentures and bites his good eye.
The stunned auditor now realizes he has wagered and lost three grand, with Grandpa's attorney as a witness. He starts to get nervous.
'Want to go double or nothing?' Grandpa asks 'I'll bet you six thousand dollars that I can stand on one side of your desk, and pee into that wastebasket on the other side, and never get a drop anywhere in between.'
The auditor, twice burned, is cautious now, but he looks carefully and decides there's no way this old guy could possibly manage that stunt, so he agrees again.
Grandpa stands beside the desk and unzips his pants, but although he strains mightily, he can't make the stream reach the wastebasket on the other side, so he pretty much urinates all over the auditor's desk.
The auditor leaps with joy, realizing that he has just turned a major loss into a huge win.
But Grandpa's own attorney moans and puts his head in his hands.
'Are you okay?' the auditor asks.
'Not really,' says the attorney. 'This morning, when Grandpa told me he'd been summoned for an audit, he bet me twenty-five thousand dollars that he could come in here and piss all over your desk and that you'd be happy about it!'
This man was a boat captain and an accomplished scuba diver who just conveniently "drowned" 2 weeks before a hearing on a probation violation
Maryland State police say a fugitive reported missing after he fell from a boat in the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia has been arrested in Texas.
Fifty-eight-year-old Larry Deffenbaugh of Dunkirk was arrested Tuesday in Baytown, Texas. He is being held in the Harris County jail awaiting extradition to Maryland.
Troopers say Deffenbaugh fell overboard while on a boat with his brother on May 10 in the bay near Virginia Beach. He vanished two days before a hearing on a probation violation in Calvert County.
Deffenbaugh has been convicted of theft for bilking more than 500 people out of cemetery services. He was the former owner of Southern Memorial Gardens.
The TV show "America's Most Wanted" broadcast a segment about Deffenbaugh on Saturday, generating a tip leading to his arrest.
This is unbelievable! The Maryland Ballet Company in Pocomoke! And the feature ballet is The Beauty and the Beast!
If you have never seen the Maryland Ballet Company I can tell you that you are in for a wonderful treat.
We don't have any small children in our household any more so the only little ones I see are when my family gets together. My little great-niece and great-nephew keep me up to date with the "newest" in their world. My little great-niece has a portable DVD player that is her "best friend" and on occasion she shares it with me and her cousin. I know all about Belle because my great-niece loves her and I also know about that ugly beast because the beast makes my great-nephew giggle.
This will be delightful and spectacular! This will be a ballet and story that everyone small and everyone big (but small in heart) should see. I am sure of that.
OH, if you have a little girl that dreams of Belle and has one of her dresses I hope she gets to wear it.
The pilot who slammed a small plane into an office building in Austin, Texas, this morning was tentatively identified as 53-year-old Joseph A. Stack, a software engineer who harbored a bitter grudge against the Internal Revenue Service and apparently authored an anti-government rant posted on the Internet.
The single-engine Piper Cherokee crashed into the seven-story building just before 10 a.m., sparking a deafening explosion. Flames shot out of the building as employees ran for safety.
It was "a deliberate and intentional act on a federal building," Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, told a late-afternoon news conference.
Two men were injured and the Austin American-Statesman said this evening that two bodies had been recovered at the site. Earlier, officials said one federal employee was not accounted for and the pilot was presumed dead.
Although authorities said they would need forensic information for positive identification, the FBI said the pilot is believed to be Stack.
The building housed an office were about 200 IRS employees worked, according to The Associated Press. A long, rambling anti-government rant posted on the Internet was dated today and signed "Joe Stack (1956 - 2010)."'
The online manifesto, which was later taken down at the request of the FBI, berated the government, the justice system and the Federal Aviation Administration, but especially the IRS and the tax system.
"How can any rational individual explain that white elephant conundrum in the middle of our tax system and, indeed, our entire legal system? Here we have a system that is, by far, too complicated for the brightest of the master scholars to understand," the statement said.
Authorities said Stack apparently set his own home on fire before going to Georgetown Municipal Airport, north of Austin, and embarking on his suicide mission.
A federal official told the Austin American-Statesman that the plane was registered to Joseph Andrew Stack. A neighbor of Stack's called 911 around 8 a.m. after hearing an explosion and seeing the house go up in flames. The plane crashed into the Echelon Building two hours later.
Authorities stressed that the pilot's bizarre actions were an isolated criminal attack, not part of a terror plot. But workers in the office building said they thought a bomb had gone off.
"It felt like a bomb blew off," Peggy Walker, an IRS revenue officer who was sitting at her desk in the building when the plane crashed, told the AP. "The ceiling caved in and windows blew in. We got up and ran."
In the online manifesto, the author wrote that adding his "body to the count" will ensure that people will take notice of the incident.
"I can only hope that the numbers quickly get too big to be white-washed and ignored that the American zombies wake up and revolt," the author said. "Sadly, though I spent my entire life trying to believe it wasn't so, but violence not only is the answer, it is the only answer."
It took 10 calls to 911 and almost 30 hours for paramedics to reach Curtis Mitchell. But by the time they made it to his Hazelwood, Pa., home, he was dead.
"I sat up here with him, watching him die," Mitchell's longtime girlfriend, Sharon Edge, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "They didn't do their jobs like they were supposed to."
Pittsburgh officials, including Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, apologized to Mitchell's family and have enacted a new policy for responding to emergency calls.
"We should have gotten there," Public Safety Director Michael Huss told members of the local media. "It's that simple."
So why didn't they?
The Pittsburgh area was buried in 2 feet of snow when Mitchell, 50, began calling emergency dispatchers around 2 a.m. on Feb. 6. In his first 911 call, he complained that his "entire stomach was in pain," according to a report by Dr. Ron Roth, medical director for Pittsburgh's Public Safety Department. His symptoms were judged to be non-life-threatening.
After two hours passed without paramedics showing up, Mitchell placed a second call, learning an ambulance was stuck in the snow near a local bridge. He was asked if he could walk four blocks to meet the ambulance, but he said his pain was too severe. The call was canceled.
After another hour and another call from Mitchell, a second ambulance got stuck at the same bridge, its crew unaware that it was the second group to attempt to reach Mitchell, as the call histories were not noted by dispatchers. First-responders again asked Mitchell to come to them, according to Roth's report.
"If he wants a ride to the hospital, he is just going to have to come down to the truck," a medic told the dispatcher.
Mitchell's call was canceled for the second time.
Over the next 10 hours, Mitchell's symptoms intensified along with the number of calls to 911 from across the snowed-in Pittsburgh area. Limited availability became a factor in reaching Mitchell, who eventually was unable to call for help himself. Edge took over, telling dispatchers her boyfriend was suffering shortness of breath after a full day of contacting medics for care.
In a late call, Edge said she "could not get him up" after he took sleep and pain medications. Roth's report said a doctor who spoke with Edge was convinced Mitchell had taken prescribed pills and gone to sleep. Mitchell and Edge had made calls from 11:17 a.m. through 9:15 p.m on Feb. 6.
The final 911 call from the Mitchell home came at 8 a.m. Feb. 7. Edge was screaming; Mitchell was non-responsive and cold. Paramedics finally arrived, but it was too late.
The cause of Mitchell's death has not been determined yet, as toxicology reports are pending, according to the Post-Gazette.
Ravenstahl called the handling of Mitchell's situation "unacceptable," promising that EMS protocol would be changed to take note of a caller's history. He is weighing disciplinary action against the ambulance crew.
In a project straight out of Star Wars -- or maybe an April Fool’s edition of Popular Mechanics -- the U.S. Defense Department is working on a flying car that can carry four soldiers into combat.
This machine is supposed to take off and land vertically, fly at speeds up to 120 knots, drive on roads up to 80 mph, and go off-road up to 30 mph. It must be simple enough for any Marine to fly, it must be quiet, and it must carry enough fuel to stay aloft for two hours.
They’re calling this machine the Transformer.
It’s easy enough to make fun of something like this. But the agency in charge is DARPA -- that is, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency. You know, the guys that invented the Internet...
By Defense Department standards, Transformer is small potatoes. This project has a budget of $6 million this year, enough to gather a bunch of inventors in a room and ask them to develop a prototype.
Which is exactly what DARPA did during a workshop in Washington D.C. on Jan. 14. About 150 people showed up -- mostly representing small businesses that you’ve never heard of, but also a few big dogs like Boeing and Raytheon.
Whoever wins this contract is supposed to produce a working prototype in four years. While I wouldn’t bet a plugged nickel on this project, I admit I got intrigued. Here’s what I found out:
While DARPA hasn’t awarded any contracts yet, developers have conducted some intriguing test flights of vehicles that can take off vertically, then fly like a plane. The Brits managed this feat a couple of decades ago when they developed the Harrier fighter jet.
This time, the trick is to make them small, light and quiet.
NASA already has taken a shot at it. The agency has built a one-man flying machine called the Puffin. The contraption is powered by two propellers driven by an electric motor and lithium ion batteries.
The agency has built a one-third size scale model, and it will be ready for testing in March. If you watch the video, you can see how it is supposed to fly.
Dr. Mark Moore, an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center, is excited about the Puffin’s potential. In theory, it will cruise at 150 mph. Yet, the contraption is quite small -- just 12 feet long, with a wingspan of 13 feet.
Since it’s built with carbon fiber composites, the Puffin weighs just 297 pounds, plus another 99 pounds of batteries.
When I chatted with Moore about the Puffin, he was bubbling with excitement... until we talked about the Jeep portion of the mission. That’s the tough part, says Moore.
For every pound you add to accommodate wheels, suspension and other Jeep needs, you have to add five more pounds of wings, propellors, etc. to lift that extra pound off the ground.
Moore says he supports the Marines’ vision of Transformer as a dual-mission flying Jeep. But it’s clear he’s a lot more enthused about the Puffin’s potential as a small, cheap flying machine that can land or take off anywhere.
He won’t admit it, but I think he’d just as soon forget about the Jeep portion of the mission. Anyway, Moore thinks we may be seeing Puffin-like contraptions in civilian use.
“In five years, you’ll be amazed to see what people are doing,” he predicts.
If so, DARPA once again will demonstrate its knack for inventing military devices with civilian applications. At the moment, though, it doesn’t look like the Puffin will be the flying Jeep that the Marines are looking for.
But NASA has been working on some other promising developments. In 2006, it built a tail-fan, which is basically a seven-blade propeller housed inside a large metal tube. In theory, the tail fan could be used to power the vehicle straight up, allow it to fly like a plane, and also provide propulsion for the vehicle in Jeep mode.
Powered by an LS1 Corvette engine -- yup, you heard it right -- the tail fan was both durable and quiet.
Moore was impressed by Corvette motor’s performance and low cost. You can buy a small-block Chevy engine for $3,500 or so, while a conventional small-plane engine can cost ten times as much. What’s the downside? It was a bit heavy.
And those prototype tests never addressed the Jeep portion of Transformer’s mission.
Which leads us to the private sector. There are plenty of inventors out there who are been tinkering with flying cars, and some have even built prototypes.
The Terrafugia Transition, called “a roadable aeroplane” by its inventors, is basically a small plane with fold-up wings.
It has a cruising speed aloft of 115 mph, and it is said to attain highway speeds on the road. But it can’t take off vertically, and it clearly is too ungainly for off-road use.
Then there’s the Parajet Sky Car, a dune buggy powered by a big propulsion fan on the back -- the kind that power those water skimmers in the Everglades. To hoist the Sky Car aloft, you attach it with cables to an inflatable para-sail.
Sure enough, this vehicle gets off the ground.
But it feels like a stunt more than a serious vehicle. And no, it can’t take off vertically.
Which leaves us back where we’ve begun. Trend-spotters would do well to keep an eye on Dr. Moore and his Puffin. But he would be the first to admit that the current version is no flying Jeep.
The Marines may have to wait awhile. As for me, I’d put some money on the table for a flying car built a few years back by Jesse James, host of Monster Garage. As a lark, he carved up an old Panoz Esperante and tacked on a wing.
If you appreciate vehicles with attitude, it was featured on the cover of the July 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics. I’d like a red one, please.
While I always agree that hunting is an ethical God given right, I think that I would havetoagree with the author on this one.... fox hunting in Colorado should be banned!
A pastor concluded that his church was getting intovery serious financial troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed.
So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for threevolunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Jack, Paul and Louie all raised their hands tovolunteer for the task.
The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned theirliving as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louis stuttered badly. But, not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister decided to let him try anyway.
He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, theminister immediately asked Jack, "Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our bibles last week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jackreplied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Jack!" The minister said, vigorouslyshaking his hand. "You are indeed a fine salesman and the Church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul, "And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the Church last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidentlyreplied, "I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and here's $280 I collected."
The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie andsaid, "And Louie, did you manage to sell any bibles last week?" Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope.
The minister opened it and counted the contents."What is this?" the minister exclaimed. "Louie, there's $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?"
Louie just nodded. "That's impossible!" both Jack and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister! agreed. "I think you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don'tkn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. "For crying out loud,Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!"
If your local grocery store has been low on milk blame the snow.......
Deep Snow Forces Md. Dairy Farms To Dump Milk
Some Maryland dairy farmers say last week's snow storm cost them hundreds of dollars when they were forced to dump milk.
Middletown-area farmers Jeremy Thompson and Glen Kinna told The Frederick News-Post on Tuesday that they each dumped thousands of pounds of milk because trucks couldn't get through the deep snow to pick it up.
They say cows must be milked twice a day. And once the farmers' tanks are full, they have no choice but to dump the excess.
Thompson also says he lost two cows when part of his barn collapsed under the weight of the snow.
Pocomoke City Councilman Robert Hawkins is seeking one last term representing District 1, a seat he has held for 21 years.
The incumbent candidate said a win in the April 6 election will likely mark the end of his political career in Pocomoke.
"I just enjoy the camaraderie with the council," Hawkins said. "We've been able to work together and get a lot of things done. I still feel that my health is good and I can help the people and the city."
His opponent is no stranger to city government, either.
Harvey Lynch, his challenger, spent three decades working for Pocomoke City maintenance and water before retiring in 1989. Now he wants to use that experience to lead the town.
"I worked for them for 30 years, so I might know a thing or two," Lynch said.
The Worcester County native said he has "done everything." Prior to his time running maintenance for the town and ensuring a safe water supply, he worked as a crabber, a truck driver, a trapper, a fisherman and served in the Merchant Marine. Now in retirement, he focuses much of his efforts on carving decoys and other birds out of blocks of tupelo gum wood.
Lynch, who has lived in Pocomoke since 1946, said he doesn't have specific plans for changes needed in town, choosing instead to emphasize that he would make decisions only after studying the issues.
"I'd have to get into whatever they are doing," he said. "You have to get into a group to know those things, to know what's going on, before you know what should happen."
For Hawkins, should he get another term serving Pocomoke, his focus will be on shoring up commercial ventures.
"I'm interested in getting small businesses and small industry instead of big industry," he said. "Because we had Birds Eye and Campbell's Soup, and when they left, that really hurt."
Bringing in more businesses would also help revive downtown, once the center of Pocomoke City life, Hawkins added.
"We are still trying to work on downtown Pocomoke," he said. "Like all small towns it's lost a lot of business."
Pocomoke City's district 2 has been held for over 20 years by Honiss Cane. This election, district 2 will have two new faces on the ballot and as for as many years as I can remember NO incumbent. Who will Eddy Lee support?
From The Daily Times;
Two newcomers to city politics are vying for the District 2 council seat, marking the first time in 24 years voters won't see an incumbent's name on the ballot.
Diane Downing and Duane Bias have filed to run for the position, held for nearly a quarter of a century by departing councilman Honiss Cane. Both candidates promise to bring new ideas to the town. And while this is each candidate's first run at elected office, both say they are familiar with how governments operate.
Downing, a Pocomoke City native, has worked for Worcester County government for 31 years. She was set to serve her second term on Pocomoke City's Board of Super-visors of Elect-ions, an appointed position, when the District 1 seat came up for election.
"It's available, so I thought, 'why not me?'" Downing said of running for office. "I love this city and I know about government."
"You have to have a love for people, patience, a love for helping people in different situations and go that extra mile to do everything you can to get some satisfaction for the citizens," she added. "That's what I've always loved and why I do what I do."
From her vantage point as a nearly life-long resident, Downing said one of the town's challenges is local crime.
"I look at the crime, and people breaking into houses, and that concerns me," she said. "We need to bring about some type of a deterrent -- neighborhood watches and get people watching out for others when they aren't around."
Downing also supports the creation of facilities and programs to keep kids busy. As a parent of two boys, that's a problem she knows all too well, she added.
"Because of the economy, there isn't a lot for young people to do," she said. "There are some things, but people may not have the money to do them. So we have to do something to keep these kids out of trouble."
Creating more opportunities for youth is something Bias, Downing's challenger, said he also supports.
"We need to try to find some activities for the kids in the summertime," Bias said. "Try to keep them busy and out of trouble and to give them a better education and life."
Bias, a Baltimore native, has spent 21 years in Pocomoke City.
"Pocomoke City is a nice quiet town," he said, adding that he originally moved here for a job. "It's friendly, it's a nice place to bring kids up. I love this town."
Married with one daughter -- a graduate of Pocomoke City's schools -- Bias worked for Worcester County Public Works before just recently taking a job as a correctional officer at the county jail.
He plans to reach out to community groups and churches to garner ideas on what needs changing in Pocomoke City. In particular, he said he will focus his efforts on cleaning up neighborhoods to make them safer for children and the elderly.
"I'm going to try and make it a nicer, better place for the whole town of Pocomoke so we can all come together as one," Bias said. "There are absolutely a lot of things I want to bring to the table."
Calling for new tribal leadership and a break from the federal government, founders of the first Crow Indian Tea Party movement rallied Monday in Hardin [Montana].
Leading the new Crow Nation Tea Party was Adrian Bird Sr., a former tribal chairman candidate who recently filed a civil complaint against the Crow executive branch alleging malfeasance for mismanaging tribal funds.
Bird, his wife, Lavanna, and fellow Tea Party founder Karmelita Plains Bull Martin are seeking to impeach the tribe's four executives and take the Indian government in a different direction. … Bird said the tribe would be better off if it developed the natural resources on the reservation, lived by tribal laws and declined federal government assistance.
Don't these folks know that liberty, self-reliance, and fiscal responsibility are tools of the paleface oppressor? Comrade Obama just isn't getting the message out.
A newly-obtained document from the Alabama health department finds even more violations at a Birmingham Planned Parenthood abortion center. The report finds nine cases of underage girls who were victims of statutory rape getting abortions in violation of the state's parental consent law.
The documented cases are so numerous that Lila Rose, the pro-life muckraker who exposed the problems in an undercover video, says Planned Parenthood's license should be revoked.
Now, Rose's group, Live Action, has obtained a copy of the Alabama Department of Public Health's Statement of Deficiencies indicating it charged Planned Parenthood with additional violations.
The document, according to Rose, reveals nine of nine underage girls, aged 13 to 15, received abortions without proper verification of parental consent. Also, a 13-year-old girl went to the Planned Parenthood clinic for two different abortions within the span of four months. Rose says Planned Parenthood made no report of suspected abuse or neglect to the state as required by law.
According to Rose, the health department report says, "A reasonable person faced with that situation would have to suspect abuse…Neither the Registered Nurse, the Medical Doctor, nor any other Center staff reported the suspected abuse or neglect to the authorities as required by law."
Rose responds: "This is a shocking but sadly typical response from Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood looked the other way when a 15-year-old girl provided 'parental consent' by a woman with a different name and address. Birth records indicate the woman was not the girl’s mother."
Rose says the state health department should move beyond the probation to revoking Planned Parenthood's license.
"Planned Parenthood’s license should be revoked now, and the Health Department should begin an immediate investigation of Planned Parenthood’s second Alabama clinic in Mobile," Rose said. "Meanwhile, the Alabama legislature should make sure that not a single tax dollar is being funneled into these abortion clinics."
"It should shock and outrage Americans that the government rewards corruption at Planned Parenthood with hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. In fact, a whopping third of Planned Parenthood’s billion-dollar budget is subsidized by tax dollars," she continued.
She concludes: "It should also outrage us that out of five states our team of student journalists investigated, only the Alabama Health Department followed up with an audit and disciplinary action. What kind of sexual abuse cover up and other legal violations are commonplace in all the other clinics, and the hundreds of clinics we have yet to investigate?"
Rose portrayed a 14-year-old in the video that showed a staffer at Planned Parenthood telling a woman who appears to be a victim of statutory rape that "we bend the rules."
The Birmingham Planned Parenthood counselor tells Rose that it "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit" rather than report sexual abuse to state authorities.
In the video, Planned Parenthood staffers tell the alleged 14-year-old that she can skirt parental consent laws by getting someone "with the same last name" to sign off on the abortion in place of her parents.
When the clinic workers hear that the girl's "boyfriend" is 31, they refer her to the clinic director, Dr. Desiree Bates, telling her that Bates "does sometimes bend the rules a little bit."
After the video expose, the Planned Parenthood abortion business released a statement saying its staff normally act in a professional manner and promising an internal probe.
ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) - Authorities say a Montgomery County home caught fire after workers used a propane torch to clear ice from the roof.
County fire department spokesman Capt. Oscar Garcia says the blaze began Tuesday afternoon and firefighters found smoke and flames in the second floor and attic.
Garcia says one of the six workers was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation. A housekeeper escaped from the home uninjured.
Crews had to dig out two nearby fire hydrants buried in the snow. Part of the roof also collapsed.
Garcia says officials are looking into whether the workers were licensed to do the work. He says damage is estimated at $1.5 million.
Authorities say they don't recommend using an open flame to clean off ice or snow from a roof.
I received another phishing scam email from posers pretending to be Google representatives and threatens termination of the Gmail user account.
If you receive one of these emails report it to Google. DO NOT reply. Below is an actual email of the platform they are using, this is the second one I have received in about a month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear User,
Your email address needs verification for user safety. There is an on going email congestion due to anonymous registration of our service so we are shutting down some gmail email accounts and your account will automatically be deleted. Still interested in using our services please filling the space below for verification purpose by clicking the reply button.
User name: ...........................
Password: ............................
Date Of Birth ........................
Country: ................................
Your account will not be interrupted after following the instructions and your service will continue as normal. Thanks for your attention
Notice : Account owner that refuses to verify his/her email account after one week of receiving this notice will lose his or her account permanently. We apologize for any inconveniences.
Taxpayers in North Carolina will have to wait longer to get their state income tax refunds. The state says it needs to keep the money as long as it can.
North Carolina's Department of Revenue says tax refunds will be slow coming again this year.
Last year Clyde Overton waited three months to get his refund. He depended on the money to pay his bills.
"They don't consider that the bill collectors don't. They charge me a late fee because I don't pay it. And if it's lights or water or something of that type then if I don't get money from somewhere, borrow it, then they come out and turn it off," Overton said.
The North Carolina Department of Revenue tells NewsChannel 3 it simply does not have the money.
"We are managing the distribution of refunds much like a family would manage their own checking account in that as we write checks to pay the different bills and to provide tax refunds, we want to make sure that when we write those checks that the money is in the account to cover them," said Thomas Beam, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Revenue.
State officials say fewer people are working and paying income taxes is to blame.
During fiscal year 2009 the state collected $16.8 billion in taxes, which was the lowest total in four years.
"This is a situation where we are having to manage our distributions on a week to week basis and we are in fact writing refund checks every week and everyone that's due a refund will in fact receive a refund," Beam added.
Most individuals like taxpayers Tricena Barker and Clyde Overton say they depend on their refunds arriving on time.
"Due to the lateness of the tax returns I had to wait for my bills to be paid," Barker said.
"They charged me a late fee because I don't pay it," added Overton.
This year the North Carolina Department of Revenue has added a section to its website where people can check the status of their refund, but officials tell NewsChannel 3 that it still can't offer a time frame when people will actually receive their checks.
I think this is pathetic andthe state of North Carolina certainly can't expect the working people to be patient when it comes to receiving their tax refund. It just seems no matter how hard the working people of America try they can't seem to get a break.
