THEFT: LESS $100VALUE
BURGLARY - FOURTH DEGREE
BURGLARY - FIRST DEGREE
THEFT: LESS $500 VALUE
VIA: Crimereports.com
Family friendly and striving to be a worthy choice for your Internet browsing. Comments and material submissions welcome: tkforppe@yahoo.com . Pocomoke City-- an All American City And The Friendliest Town On The Eastern Shore.
Vincent V. Harmon, 20, who has been behind bars since Feb. 12, was sentenced to time served for a single count of conspiracy to commit second-degree arson. The Pocomoke City resident was also given two years unsupervised probation and a $200 fine.
Worcester County District Court Judge Gerald V. Purnell said the sentence was an effort at giving Harmon a second chance.
"I could send you today to 20 years in prison, so you need to keep that in mind," Purnell said. "One bad decision can change your life."
According to Worcester County Assistant State's Attorney Kristin Heiser, on the evening of Feb. 11, Harmon and another man, Lamar Watson, entered the Pocomoke City Walmart, where Harmon used a lighter to set fire to bags of potato chips on the second shelf from the top. When the fire caught, Harmon and Watson quickly left the store.
Nine fire extinguishers were used to put out the blaze. In total, the store sustained $1 million in damage and destroyed merchandise, Heiser said. The supercenter, Pocomoke's only full-service grocery store, had to close for two days.
The incident was caught on surveillance cameras, and employees recognized Harmon, who had previously worked at the store.
The two men were arrested the following day. Watson will face a judge on similar charges at the end of June.
About a dozen of Harmon's family and friends were gathered in the courtroom for the proceedings. Several others, including the principal of Pocomoke High School, which Harmon attended, wrote letters to the judge attesting to his character.
Richard A. Parolski, Harmon's attorney, explained how his client had played basketball at the high school before getting an academic scholarship to a college in South Carolina, which he attended for a year before transferring to University of Maryland Eastern Shore to be closer to home.
"This is a guy you should take a chance on," Parolski said.
VIA: DelmarvaNow.comCan human hair and pantyhose save the Gulf?
Well, no, it can't. The oil slick spreading from a damaged drilling rig off the coast of Louisiana is already too massive for any quick fix, no matter how well intended. But the environmental calamity has inspired a quirky grass-roots campaign that seeks to use donated hair and animal fur to create oil-absorbing booms.
The idea, promoted by a San Francisco-based nonprofit group called Matter of Trust, is to collect tons of hair and fur to stuff into nylon pouches, in this case used or defective pantyhose. When strung together in sausage-like skeins, the hair booms could be set in the water to collect the encroaching oil.
Hair, as anyone who hasn't shampooed in a while knows, absorbs and holds oily materials well.
Matter of Trust is coordinating the collection of hair and fur through thousands of salons, pet groomers and ranchers. It has collected more than 450,000 pounds of the stuff from people around the world. The organization is storing the raw material in warehouses throughout the Gulf region. Meanwhile, volunteers in the area have hosted 19 "Boom-B-Qs" during which participants stuff hair into the nylon casings.
"We're all growing this natural resource ," says Lisa Gautier, who co-founded Matter of Trust with her husband, Patrice, 12 years ago. "It doesn't get more renewable than this. We think it's a safe, non-toxic way to do the clean-up."
The movement has picked up corporate support, too. Hanes has donated 50,000 pairs of pantyhose, and Petco, the pet-supply and grooming chain, says it will donate as much as a ton of fur clippings per day.
It's not clear how much of a dent in the problem the hair booms can make. Lisa Gautier says it takes about 15 pounds of hair to create a 12-foot boom. If all 450,000 pounds of hair were stuffed and deployed, that would create 360,000 feet of barrier, or about 68 miles' worth.
The joint industry-government task force that is supervising the cleanup effort has more than 150 miles of industrial booms to block and absorb the oil in place around the Gulf.
What's more, Matter of Trust isn't authorized to place booms; only government agencies and volunteers certified by the official joint command are legally permitted to do so.
But there's plenty of need: "We're finding that everyone wants to boom everything," says Mark Proegler, a spokesman for BP, the oil company that is legally responsible for the cleanup. "There's just not sufficient boom to do that. Every parish thinks it's the most important."
BP has had no contact with Matter of Trust, but it appreciates the effort: "We certainly don't want to discourage any of the people who've expressed a willingness to help," Proegler says.
The feel-good aspects of the project aren't lost on Washington salon owner Jacqui Davis, whose 15-store chain, PR at Partners, is participating in the effort. "It's another way to be green and recycle," Davis says. "We're happy to help out. We're telling our clients who want to take just a couple of inches off to cut it shorter and pick up some more oil. It's great to be able to say you contributed in some way."
If everything goes as planned in the great hair boom deployment, it does raise another question: Who cleans up all of that hair?
The booms, Lisa Gautier says, would be BP's responsibility. The company would likely incinerate the booms after picking them up, she says.
In 36 years of writing stories on local people for this newspaper, no one was ever as grateful or appreciative as Johnny Strand, the popular Pizza Hut manager who was slain last weekend at his Melfa home.
I have received scores of notes and letters from people who I have profiled during my time here, but Johnny's thank you was the most memorable.
Not long after I wrote a profile on Johnny for the "Virginia's Eastern Shore" special section in 2007 -- ironically, that issue appears in today's paper -- Johnny came into the News office in Accomac and called a few employees he knew up front in the lobby, including me.
He then read a hand-written message he had penned on a thank you card. It read:
You wrote articles over the years
To make one happy or shed tears.
It's true what I've heard, you're one of a kind,
You gave Johnny Strand a chance to speak his mind.
With my voice, I spoke of my strife,
with your pen you wrote of my life.
Together, you and I have touched so many,
A smile restored, a broken spirit replenished.
So I thank you so much, for not taking away
From the spirit of a man who had a lot to say.
Thank you Mr. Sterling,
and the rest of the Eastern Shore News family,
Sincerely,
Mr. Johnny Strand
Since that day Johnny thanked me again every time I saw him. Just two weeks ago he was thanking me for the article as if I had written it the previous week.
The truth is Johnny never stopped hearing about the article with the power of the Internet. The story was picked up by the Associated Press and turned up in newspapers and websites all over the country. Johnny said he heard from strangers who just wanted to say they were inspired by his story.
And what a story it was. I knew when I walked away from that interview three years ago, Johnny's story sounded like a movie script that producers would reject because people just wouldn't believe it. But Johnny was the real deal.
The writing had little, if anything, to do with the powerful message Johnny delivered in that interview. Johnny gave me far too much credit in that card that I treasure even more today than when he presented it.
In 1990, Strand was walking along U.S. Route 13 as the Pizza Hut was being built in the Chesapeake Square shopping center in Onley. A man hailed Strand and asked if he wanted to earn some extra money by unloading a truckload of construction materials being used to build the restaurant.
Strand, who had no car and was unemployed at the time, because it was January and he usually worked on area farms, gladly accepted the offer.
The Pizza Hut manager who was checking on the progress of the construction took notice of how Strand hustled back and forth as he was unloading the truck. He called Strand aside and asked him if he wanted a job when the restaurant opened in a few weeks.
So on the first day Pizza Hut opened Strand was a dishwasher.
Strand said in that interview his mission was to be the best dishwasher possible. "I took control of my area. I'm like that. I wanted those dishes to be so clean you could see your face in them."
Strand was soon promoted to assistant cook and then lead cook. When the manager saw how friendly Strand was with people, he made Strand a server. Strand then became a shift manager and eventually assistant manager of the restaurant.
Strand worked for five other managers, and in 2002 when the position was again vacant Strand was asked by Pizza Hut officials to be the manager. He turned them down -- twice, in fact.
Gil Liberty, the district manager for Pizza Hut, came to Strand for a third time. Liberty was present at that 2007 interview because he wanted to impress upon the reporter just how he felt about Strand.
Liberty told Stand, "You are here 55 hours a week anyway. Everyone thinks you are the manager. Why don't you take this position and earn the benefits and the extra money that comes with it?"
Strand explained he was very busy with his church and was a member of a traveling gospel choir at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Bayside, near Onancock.
Liberty promised Strand the job would not interfere with attending church. "I say that because I know you are the right person for the job," Liberty told Strand.
Liberty said at that 2007 interview, "Johnny is the face of Pizza Hut on the Eastern Shore. When you say Pizza Hut around here you think of Johnny Strand. When you say Johnny Strand, you think of Pizza Hut. He has such great people skills, both with the public and the employees. Everyone loves to work for him."
Strand was recognized by the community and Pizza Hut for his contributions. He worked with schools, youth groups, churches, the Foodbank, the DARE program and numerous other groups to help raise funds or provide pizzas as incentives for achievement. It seemed everyone knew Strand and his willingness to help others.
The walls of the restaurant are plastered with drawings from local students and photographs of athletes from every school on the Shore.
Many of his employees are area students, and he often sat down with them and asked about their grades. He told them he was far from a perfect student in high school, but mistakes today can have more impact than when he was at Onancock High School in the 1970s.
"I want to find the good in everyone," said Strand. "I go to the schools and tell students that if they work hard and do a good job, their self-esteem will rise and good things will happen to them," said Strand, who had at the time missed only one day of work in 17 years. He took a day off to go watch Nandua High School play for a state basketball title.
Strand might not have been perfect in high school, but Pizza Hut received rare perfect scores from the Health Department. Pizza Hut's reviews were usually rated "excelling."
Strand's love in high school was music. He was taught by his cousin, Jesse Poulson, also an active member of his church.
He was good enough that he was supposed to go to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and be a member of the college choir. But his mother had a leg amputated due to complications from diabetes two months before he was to graduate from high school in 1978. His father died one month later. As the youngest of 10 children and the only one still at home, it was up to Johnny to care for his mother at their home near White Rabbit.
"I missed a chance to go to college, but I wouldn't change a thing," said Strand, who wiped away a tear at that interview when talking about his mother.
Although he never married, Johnny said he had more than 50 nieces and nephews he followed closely.
His funeral will surely be attended many of the people he touched through the years. His tragic loss from a senseless crime will be felt throughout the community.
But although his life was cut short, the incomparable Johnny Strand will continue to inspire others to be their best, as he always tried to be.
It will follow Strand’s funeral, which is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the Macedonia A.M.E. Church in Accomack.
“Johnny blessed a lot of people,” said the Rev. Robert Garris Jr., who is organizing the event. “This is what needs to be done.”
Everyone is invited.Strand, 49, who had worked for Pizza Hut since it opened, was found dead in his Melfa home. Police this week arrested an Accomac man on a murder charge in connection with his death.
The celebration of Strand’s life will feature gospel music with intermittent opportunities for attendees to take a microphone and say a few words on how Strand touched their lives.
There also will be hot dogs, hamburgers and Pizza Hut pizza available. Garris is going to local businesses this week to solicit donations of food and beverages.
There also will be a massive reprint of the photograph that Jay Diem, the News’ photographer, took of Strand in 2007 as the manager stood in front of Pizza Hut.
Garris has asked the Parksley Sign Co. to enlarge the photograph “life-sized” so that attendees can bring a camera and have their photo taken with it.
Donations also will be collected for the Johnny Keith Strand Memorial Scholarship, which is being organized by longtime friend Jesse Poulson.
Like many people, Garris, who is pastor at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church in Onancock, has a personal story about how Strand influenced his life.
The event will be a tribute to Strand. Garris credited Accomack County Parks and Recreation Director Bill Allen with coordinating the use of Wachapreague Park for the event.
ORCHARD, Texas – A third-grader at Brazos Elementary was given a week’s detention for possessing a Jolly Rancher.
School officials in western Fort Bend County are defending the seemingly harsh sentence. The school’s principal and superintendent said they were simply complying with a state law that limits junk food in schools.
But the girl’s parents say it’s a huge overreaction.
“I think it’s stupid to give a kid a week’s worth of detention for a piece of candy,” said Amber Brazda, the girl’s mother. "The whole thing was just ridiculous to me."
Leighann Adair, 10, was eating lunch Monday when a teacher confiscated the candy. Her parents said she was in tears when she arrived home later that afternoon and handed them the detention notice.
According to the disciplinary referral, she would be separated from other students during lunch and recess through Friday.
Jack Ellis, the superintendent for Brazos Independent School District, declined an on-camera interview. But he said the school was abiding by a state guideline that banned “minimal nutrition” foods.
“Whether or not I agree with the guidelines, we have to follow the rules,” he said.
The state, however, gives each school discretion over how to enforce the policy. Ellis said school officials had decided a stricter punishment was necessary after lesser penalties failed to serve as a deterrent.
Ellis said failing to adhere to the state’s guidelines could put federal funding in jeopardy.
According to the Texas Department of Agriculture’s website, “The Texas Public School Nutrition Policy (TPSNP) explicitly states that it does not restrict what foods or beverages parents may provide for their own children's consumption.”
Brazos Elementary Principal Jeanne Young, said the problem, in this instance, was that the candy was provided by another student – not the girl’s parents.
The girl’s mother said the incident has taught her daughter a lesson, but not the one her teachers intended.
“I told her, ‘Leighann, unfortunately you’re learning very young that life’s not fair,'” Brazda said.
For more information about the state’s policy and its exceptions, click here.
VIA: khou.com
A violent new film from cult director Robert Rodriguez is declaring war on Arizona with a "special Cinco De Mayo message" in the wake of the state's controversial illegal immigration law.
That message is: "They just f---ed with the wrong Mexican."
"Machete," which features a knife-wielding Mexican assassin out for revenge against double-crossing gringos, won't be in theaters until September, but it is already sparking a political melee over Wednesday's stab at the Grand Canyon State.
In the trailer for the film, the title character is hired to assassinate an anti-immigration U.S. senator played by Robert De Niro. Protesters are seen waving nationalist signs as the senator speaks to a charged-up rally: "We are at war," he booms. "Every time an illegal dances across our border, it is an act of aggression against this sovereign state — an overt act of terrorism."
But before the trailer even begins, the battle-scarred title character stares out from the screen as he tells viewers that what's about to unfold — an immigration-laced slasher grindhouse flick — is about the current border battle in Arizona.
The trailer was released Wednesday, just 24 hours after an envelope filled with a still-undetermined white powder was sent to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, temporarily closing the State Capitol in Phoenix. The powder spilled out when a staffer opened it Tuesday morning, sending Hazmat teams scrambling through the governor's offices. No one was sickened, but state police and the FBI are investigating the incident.
It was just the latest development in a debate that is growing more rancorous by the minute.
Some outspoken critics of illegal immigration took umbrage at the movie trailer and its swipe at Arizona, which is the entry point for one-third of all illegal immigrants in the U.S.
"It's pretty ugly out there," said former Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, a staunch advocate of tougher immigration laws. "Half the time that's the way all of us are depicted: corrupt, no good, racist."
Tancredo, who served in the House from 1999-2009, said he received "tons of death threats" while in office and frequently wore a bulletproof vest during public speeches. Though the language of the film is nothing new to him, he said he still finds it offensive.
"The racists who made that trailer, they are as racist as anything I have ever seen" from either side of the immigration debate, Tancredo said.
But, he added, "these guys are 'politically correct' racists, so you cannot heap indignities upon them."
Read More HERE
The petitions will now move relatively quickly through the courts. If a judge accepts the signatures and Holley still refuses to resign there could be a recall election in less than two months.
A group of citizens initiated the petition drive last September saying the last straw came when it was revealed that Holley had been ordering his city secretary to handle his personal errands like buying his clothes and purchasing gifts for friends and family members. City Council publicly scolded Holley, fined him $2,500 and formally voted to request his retirement. He refused then, as he continues to refuse to give up his post today despite the submission of the recall petition.
Portsmouth resident Robert Marcus helped spearhead the recall effort. "The mayor is not able to function as a leader," said Marcus. "We have an elderly man who is more inclined in his later years to enjoy having a nice wardrobe and a nice car to drive in, and his mind is not on the job and as unfortunate as it is, he is not willing to accept that reality."
WAVY.com caught up with Mayor Holley just moments after the petitions seeking his recall were filed. When asked for his thoughts on the nearly 9,000 signatures Holley responded, "Well, there are 100,000 citizens, so it wasn't everybody."
If the judge handling this civil case rules there are enough legitimate voter signatures he will give Holley five days to resign his post. If Holley refuses, the judge will order a recall election to be held about a month later.
WAVY.com asked Mayor Holley on Thursday if he intends to resign. "No I will not step down," he said. Holley also threw last year's apology to his secretary out the window Thursday. He told WAVY.com the dozens of chores he asked his assistant to handle were not personal chores, not even buying his clothes.
"Well, I wear clothing," shrugged Holley. "I didn't find that to be anything that was beyond her responsibility."
Holley also said he is not worried about the possibility of being recalled a second time. In 1987 Holley became the first mayor in Virginia to be recalled from office after he was said to have played a role in a racial hate mail campaign. "I am still the mayor," he said. "I think we have some positive directions which we are attempting to go and I am pleased to report that it happened under my leadership."
Recall organizers said city code required them to gather 6,772 signatures from registered voters. They said they collected 8,775. It took them nine months to get the signatures.
Marcus said, "We have taken this long because we wanted to do it right."
Dolores Knight also helped organize and run the recall effort. "It's been fascinating in a way because so many people have been willing to help us," she said. "It started out with people calling me and saying, 'We need to do something Deloris. We need to do something.'"
The 8,775 signatures will now be reviewed by a judge who will write up an order and send it, along with the petitions, to the Portsmouth Voter Registrar to validate as registered voters in the city of Portsmouth.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Operation Blessing International has dispatched a relief team from Virginia to assist flood-stricken Nashville.
The Virginia Beach charity arrived Wednesday in the heart of country music with trucks laden with food, water and ready-to-eat meals.
Nashville's Cumberland River spilled over its banks this week as more than a foot of rain drenched the city. Flash floods have been blamed in the deaths of at least 18 people in Tennessee alone, including nine in Nashville.
Starting Thursday, Operation Blessing will deploy a portable kitchen to begin serving hot meals to those whose homes are flooded.
Crews will also assist in mopping up the mess.
Shere Khan was the advanced age of 18 years.
The zoo also revealed that Shere Khan's sister Shaka Khan was diagnosed with a different cancer.
“The entire Zoo family is grief-stricken,” Executive Director Greg Bockheim said.
A lesion on Shere was biopsied on April 16 and the zoo veterinarian determined she had a form of skin cancer, called squamous cell carcinomas . Veterinarian Dr. John Sanginario did not recommend surgergy because of Shere's age and condition.
“Shere Khan and Shaka Khan were among the most popular animals at the Zoo,” Bockheim said. But the tigers have been off exhibit to Zoo visitors since June 2008 for the construction of the Asia – Trail of the Tiger expansion .
Also in April, keepers noticed a growth on Shaka Khan's left elbow. The biopsy determind she had a malignant, slow-growing, low grade fibrosarcoma . The zoo says she is expected to live another 10-12 months.
“We knew the tigers were elderly cats and could only be expected to live a few more years, but no one was prepared to lose them before the Asia exhibit opens,” says Bockheim. “Tigers are an important, highly endangered species native to Asia and are one of the centerpieces of this new exhibit.
The Mid-Atlantic Institute for Space and Technology invites the community to a dinner on Wednesday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Department Community Center, located at 1410 Market St., to honor regional students who have demonstrated commitment to excellence through application to the STEP-UP Intern Program.
Tickets for the dinner are $15 for adults and $10 for students and are available at the door. Please contact Lori Graham for details at 410-957-6570.
Bank of America, can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I want to cancel my account. I don't want to do business with you any longer.
The Bank: Why?
Customer: You're giving credit to illegal immigrants and I don't think it's right. I'm taking my business
elsewhere.
The Bank: Well, Mr. Customer, we don't want to see you do that, but we can't stop you. I'll help you close the account. What is your account number?
Customer: (gives account number)
The Bank: For security purposes and for your protection, can you please give me the last four digits of your social security number?
Customer: No?
The Bank: Mr. Customer, I need to verify your information, but in order to help you, I'll need verification of who you are..
Customer: Why should I give you my social security number? The reason I'm closing my account is that your bank is issuing credit cards to illegal immigrants who
don't have social security numbers. You are targeting that audience and want their business. Let's say I'm an illegal immigrant and you've given me a credit card. I have a question about it and call for assistance. You wouldn't be asking me for a Social Security number, would you?
The Bank: No sir, I wouldn't.
Customer: Why not?
The Bank: Because you would have pressed '2' to speak in Spanish. We don't ask for that information when calling in on the Spanish line.
If it does raise the hair on the back of your neck, then forward it to every human in the country including every representative in Washington , DC four time s a week for a month.
Provided "snopes" for doubters:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/bankofamerica.asp
POCOMOKE CITY, Md.- Honiss Cane, who served on the Pocomoke City Council for decades, died Tuesday. He was 78.
Cane was first elected to the council in 1986 and served in that capacity until he decided not to run in April's muncipal elections for health reasons. Cane, who was a pioneer for civil rights on Delmarva, had the distinction as the first-ever black member of the Pocomoke City Council.
Cane was also a student union administrator at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for more 32 years.
The Pocomoke City Chamber of Commerce says a viewing will be held Friday, May 7 from 6-8 p.m. at Shiloh United Methodist Church on 2655 Ocean Highway (Route 113) in Pocomoke City. A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, May 8, at 11 a.m. at the Ella Fitzgerald Auditorium at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne.
Daniel Scott Foster won 1,559 votes in the city council elections. He was one of five candidates seeking election.
On campus Wednesday, Foster was much like a celebrity, shaking hands and greeting those who voted him into office.
WAVY.com asked Foster how it felt to be called "council member Foster."
"It sounds pretty good! I'm getting used to it, everybody I've run into today has called me that. So, it's been a lot of fun," Foster said.
Foster campaigned hard over the past 5 months, dreaming to be where he is today. "It's a campus-wide effort and it showed," he told WAVY.com.
College freshman Claire Jackson agreed it was that campus-wide effort that got Foster elected. "There were a lot of voter registration efforts throughout the year and I think that probably made a really big difference," she said.
Williamsburg Vice-Mayor Clyde Haulman, who also happens to be a William and Mary professor, says this will only enhance the relationship between the College and the city.
"I think the students really did it right and had a really top notch candidate who not only had support in the college community, but had support in the non-college community as well," he told WAVY.com.
Williamsburg Mayor Jeanne Zeidler said, "I think it's a very historic vote. Scott spent a lot of time learning the issues... and I think he'll be a very good city council member."
As for those critics who think he's too young, Foster said, "I ran into those folks throughout the campaign, and I now have the opportunity to show them that I'm not too young and I am qualified to do this.
"While serving on council Foster will also be interning after he graduates. He then plans to start law school at William and Mary in fall 2011.
A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.
Friday May 7, 2010
Saturday May 8, 2010
7:00 PM
Admission: $5.00 per person
The 25-foot whale appeared to be healthy, but a three-person stranding team from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center could not tell how badly it was entangled, said team member Jeff Thompson.
“When we got there, it was about 3 miles northwest of Kiptopeke State Park,” Thompson said. “It was swimming strong.”
The team approached in an inflatable boat and attached a GPS tracking buoy to the net trailing behind the animal, but the buoy came loose about 10 minutes later, he said, and the whale submerged.
The aquarium stranding team is part of the Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network, a series of first responders along the East Coast. Attaching buoys is a common strategy used by rescuers, adapted from an old-time whaling technique called “kegging.”
Once a tracking buoy is attached, rescuers follow the whale and keep adding buoys to increase drag and slow down the animal. As it tires, they begin trying to remove the entangling gear.
Thompson said the humpback whale was spotted about 1:30 p.m. by a fisherman. Its length was initially estimated at 65 feet, but it turned out to be less than half that size.
An airplane from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission helped keep track of the whale until the stranding team arrived. The commission, Coast Guard and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries had ships standing by as the team attempted the dangerous job of cutting the net off a free-swimming whale.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees all stranding work with marine mammals, says that whales’ reactions to disentanglement efforts varies by species: “North Atlantic right whales are the most difficult whales to disentangle because they are extremely powerful animals that put up a seemingly endless fight instead of giving in to disentanglement efforts as humpbacks normally do.”
The humpback off Cape Charles, however, did not cooperate.
“The thing gave us the slip,” Thompson said. “We have talked to local fishermen and asked if they see it again to please give us a call.”
Boaters should not attempt to disentangle the whale themselves, he said.
Disentanglement efforts can take hours or even days. In 2005, a team from another organization followed a right whale for 60 miles and 20 hours before freeing it. That whale had been spotted off Virginia nearly a month before rescuers were able to track it down off Georgia and free it.
Thompson said the Virginia Aquarium is called to disentangle a large whale on average every other year. In 2007, the team successfully removed a commercial gill net from a humpback off Virginia Beach.
In that case, the net anchored the whale in place, but allowed it to surface for breathing.
ACCOMAC, Va.- An 23-year-old man is behind bars for the murder of an Accomack County man.
The Accomack County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced that 23-year-old Fernando Carrillo Sanchez of Accomac, has been charged with the second-degree murder of 49-year-old Johnny Strand, whose body was found inside his Melfa home on Saturday afternoon.
Strand, who was the manager of the Pizza Hut in Onley, was last seen by his colleagues closing up the restaurant the night before. His vehicle, a Ford Expedition, was missing from his home when police arrived on the scene.
During the homicide investigation, the Sheriff's Office traced Strand's vehicle to the Dreamland mobile home park on Route 13 in Accomack County. A late Tuesday night search of the mobile home park by investigators, deputies, and Virginia State Police troopers uncovered Strand's vehicle at a home there. Police say the home's occupants cooperated with authorities in bring the investigation to a close.
Sanchez is being held in the Accomack County Jail with bond denied. Police have not yet released how Strand was murdered or the motive for the crime.
R.I.P. Johnny Strand
Elks Lodge on Route 413
The manager's SUV also was stolen from his home, Accomack Sheriff Larry Giddens said.
Johnny Keith Strand, 49, of Melfa, a longtime manager of the restaurant, had been reported missing earlier Saturday.
The Accomack County Sheriff's Office found him at 2:28 p.m. at his Pine Ridge Drive residence near Melfa.
Tributes continue for Strand, known as a likable and gentlemanly Shore native who became synonymous with the restaurant.
"His bright eyes and quick smile never left him. He shared his talents and his time to make the Shore and all who visited a brighter place," said Carla Savage-Wells of Onley, a Nandua High School teacher who had known Strand since elementary school.
Pizza Hut District Manager Gil Liberty described Strand as "the kindest man that I've ever met and probably will ever meet."
Strand's death is being investigated as a homicide. Units and personnel from the Melfa Volunteer Fire and Rescue Company responded to the scene.
The victim's vehicle, a black 1998 Ford Expedition, also has been reported missing and has been entered into computer databases as a stolen vehicle. Its Virginia license number is ZC8 296.
A Pizza Hut assistant manager said she last saw Strand at 11:30 p.m. Friday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sheriff's Office at 757-787-1131 or 757-824-5666.
(L TO R) Corey Dean, (Son & Capt. of the PCVFC); Corey's wife Andrea; Darlene (Mike's wife); Mike; Gina Dean (one of Mike's Daughters)
Mike Dean began his service with the PCVFC in 1975. He has served many administrative offices, including - Secretary, Vice President & President. Line office duties consisted of Training Officer, Second LT., First LT., Captain, and Assistant Chief. Mike is currently the Company Chaplain.
Mike has received the "Fireman of the Year" award. The award is based on the nominee's involvement and accomplishments during the past company year. This includes exceptional and meritorious achievement, outstanding or superior performance worthy of public example and awareness of the company.
Mike advanced his training in the ambulance company and became a Cardiac Rescue Technician (CRT). In 1987, The Maryland Medical Examiner's Office solicited him to become a Forensic investigator for Worcester County. He has been serving his community and the county in that capacity ever since.
In 1997 Mike was hired by Holloway Funeral Home in Salisbury to manage the newly purchased Holloway Melson Funeral Home in Pocomoke City (now Holloway Funeral Home of Pocmoke City)
People that know Mike Dean trust and respect him. Whether he responds to their home driving a Mustang Convertible, fire truck, an ambulance, or a hearse, they feel confident in his ability to handle their need. Mike has committed every aspect of his life to serving the people of Pocomoke City.
~~~Certainly a wonderful family to be honored to know. Mike has worked so hard to achieve this goal and I'm sure he gave no thought to the honor as he went around the community doing the good deeds he has done for many, many years. I'm proud of you, Mike and thanks for always being there for me and my family.~~~