Behind The Microphone- The Early Years

Over the instrumental strains of his musical theme "My Happiness" the mellow voice of J. Dawson Clarke greeted his audience from WBOC's Pocomoke City radio studio located on the northeast block of Willow Street. His Monday through Friday mid-morning program began in 1950 and aired for more than twenty years. If you're on the plus side of 60 and grew up in the Pocomoke area perhaps you were a member of Dawson's Saturday morning "Teen Town Record Club." Kids from about five years old through early teens crowded the small studio for the live program and a chance for prize giveaways such as candy and records.

In the late 1920's Dawson played the piano during silent movies at the Marva Theatre; in later years he became co-owner and then sole owner of the Marva. He also did professional photography. During the early days of local television Dawson accompanied Eastern Shore Of Virginia singer Brooks Russell on the piano on entertainment programs (Russell later started WESR radio in Tasley).

Dawson was a proud booster of Pocomoke City and was elected to numerous terms as mayor serving from 1968-1986.
Pocomoke's own radio station, WDVM at 540 on the AM dial, signed on the air in August of 1955 with Dave Welborne at the helm as station manager (the call letters later changed to WDMV, today it's WGOP) . Some other voices behind the microphone during the Pocomoke station's first decade included Larry Lambeth , Stan Burns, **"Mama's Country Youngin" Eddie Matherly, Curt "White" (Welborne), Ron Smith, Choppy Layton, Mal Pierce, Pierce Burgess, "Cousin" Toby Miller, Marlin Myers, Jack Gillen, Herb Harvey, Will Hall, Johnny Walker, Bob Sealy, John Ennis, Tom Marr, Carl Briggs, Wayne Powell. A studio in Crisfield in the late 1950's was manned by Eastern Shore musician "King" Sterling and then by Charles Dryden who was also Crisfield mayor. **(Search "Matherly" on this site for article Remembering An Eastern Shore Radio Legend .)


After their days on the airwaves from Pocomoke City..... Dave Welborne left in 1960 and later owned radio stations in Danville, Va. and Cumberland, Md. His brother Curt then held the reins as manager of the Pocomoke station. Curt later changed careers and went into the educational field. At last report he was still working, part-time, for a community college in Whitesville, NC. Stan Burns (real name Stanley Bernstein) and Mal Pierce (real name Malcolm Pierce Rosenburg) went into law, each becoming attorneys in the Philadelphia area. Choppy Layton went on to start up and operate a highly rated FM station in Ocean City for many years and today is back at his roots at Pocomoke's 540 where his career stated at age 15 as "Chop Chop The Disc-Jock!" Jack Gillen remained in radio at various area stations and is now an FM station owner operating from Snow Hill. John Ennis had a long career in television news in Norfolk where he specialized in military reporting.

Tom Marr became a radio talk show host in Baltimore and is still on the air there; he was also involved in Baltimore Orioles radio broadcasts for a number of years. Johnny Walker (not to be confused with a same name personality on Baltimore radio) was a seasoned veteran in broadcasting by the time he lent his voice to the Pocomoke airwaves. He later was dealt a harsh family situation when his son John Walker Jr. was convicted of spying for Russia.
In the late 1950's and in the 1960's area teens who dialed up Salisbury's WJDY on their transistor radios heard Top 40 rock and roll played by Dick Ireland, "RT" (Roland Twig), Jim King, Johnny Williams (John Psota), Bob Callahan, Bill Kline, Herb Kravitz, Bob Rogers, and Jerry Skislak. In later years Mike Seidel, a Salisbury youngster with an interest in weather, read weather forecasts on WJDY and was later a dj there. A summer job found him behind the microphone at Pocomoke's 540 every Sunday from sign-on to sign-off. He worked for Choppy Layton's Ocean
City station before starting a career as a television meteorologist. Today Seidel is a veteran television weather reporter at The Weather Channel.


If you tuned your radio dial to 960 in the 1950's and 60's some voices you heard on WBOC in Salisbury included Lanny Layton, George Hack, Tom Maguire, Ralph Pennewell, Phil "Curly" Adams(Adamo), Wayne Gruen, John Rahe, Dave Beuret, Jim Abbot, and Barry Patchet.


Hillbilly "Luke Simpkins" and old man "Caleb McAbee" (he pronounced it Macabee) were among several voice character creations of Lanny Layton. "Mr. McAbee's 12 Days Of Christmas" was a seasonal favorite of Lanny's radio audience. He also made appearances on WBOC-TV's "Club 16" as Mr. McAbee. A "tremendous talent" is how fellow radio voice George Hack described Lanny Layton.  And George commented: "Lanny Layton and I had a pretty good thing going on WBOC in the morning, so much so that we thought we'd give the Mutual Radio Network a shot. I went ahead and made arrangements with the network to interview us for a possible slot but alas Lanny opted out...it never happened." Little is known about Lanny's career after his days on the radio at WBOC and later at WICO. In the mid 1960's he made a weekly television appearance representing the sponsor of a local program. One recollection is that after radio Lanny worked for the state of Delaware.


The first radio voice heard on WBOC was that of John B. Greenberger who remained with the station for 35 years until his retirement in 1975. In the 1940's 15-year-old Don Messick began his entertainment career performing a live one-hour weekly program on the Salisbury station featuring voice characters he created. He went on to a five decade career as the voice behind some of the best known Hanna-Barbera television cartoon characters including "Scooby Doo". Early in his broadcasting career a young Jim Simpson, with family roots in Somerset County, spent some time in Salisbury behind the WBOC microphone before going on to national recognition as a sportscaster with NBC and later with ESPN. Lonnie Starr was a popular 1940's radio voice on WBOC before leaving the Eastern Shore for New York to announce professional wrestling on WNEW-TV. Art Ward of Salisbury was a WBOC announcer who later had a long career in the popular music field managing the nationally known singers "The Honey Dreamers" and "The Arbors."
Was there local radio on the Eastern Shore before WBOC signed on the air in 1940? Stay tuned.

Check out the old news paper clipping HERE>>



Contributed by Terry Kleger of Salisbury. terrykleger@yahoo.com

Lanny Layton newspaper ad source: newspaperarchives.com

The Cat-In-A-Box

Some of you may remember the kitten that my son and his fiance brought to me one evening last summer. They had found the poor hungry thing abandoned in a parking lot during one of the extremely dry, hot spells we were having in the area. The little thing could barely eat and my husband and I fed it and cuddled it for days and nights to ease its fears.

It's name became Royal. And Royal, once comfortable with her surroundings and fully acquainted with the two older cats, made herself at home.

She isn't any fatter but she happier and on most days she and I discuss a host of topics. I think she prefers to chat about the weather since that gives her the opportunity to sit in the window and look into the back yard while the sun beats in to warm her. It turns out I end up talking to myself because she has fallen asleep.

I had forgotten alot about cats through the years. But was quick to remember this one thing:

CATS LOVE BOXES!

So, if I can't find Royal asleep in the window sill and if she isn't curled up on the bed then I know that she must be playing in the box that has been conviently left by someone for her use............ my husband.

And that's okay with me. If it keeps her happy and away from the drapes she can live it.

I hope those of you out there reading this that have animals treat them with the love and respect they need and deserve. They can't speak out for themselves and rely on us. They trust us, rely on us and love us.

We should be sure to give those same things to them in return.

Railway Museum To Hold Spaghetti Dinner

The Eastern Shore Railway Museum
Spaghetti Dinner

Held at the Parksley Firehouse Social Hall
Friday March 25, 2011
5 - 7 PM
Prices: $7.00 adults, $4.00 for children under the age of 12


Menu includes: spaghetti, salad, garlic bread plus an assortment of cakes
for dessert


~~All money raised will benefit The Eastern Shore Railway Museum~~


For more information pleas call: 757-665-5060 or 757-665-5905

Synthetic Marijuana and Bath Salts Outlawed In Virginia

On Wednesday Virginia Gov. Bob O'Donnell signed two bills outlawing synthetic marijuana and bath salts. This means that the drugs that once gave users a legal high could now land them in jail.

For those who may not know, the synthetic marijuana blends sold as "Spice" and "K2", are labeled as potpurri or incense. The chemicals are sprayed onto herbs and spices and then sold for at least $10 per gram.

Sold under the names like "Ivory Wave" and "Cloud Nine", the bath salts can either be smoked or injected and can resemble the effects of LSD, Cocaine, Ecstasy. Both of these have been suspected for overdose deaths and sicknesses across the nation.

Possession is a misdemeanor. Distributing the drugs would be a felony and manufacturing them would be punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

Pageant To Benefit Courtney Bloxom Is Just Days Away

This is going to be an exciting event with proceeds going to a worthy cause. Don't miss it. Get your tickets today.

Miss Hope Eastern Shore Pageant
Little Miss Hope Eastern Shore Princess Tea

(ages 3)

Saturday March 26, 2011

7:00 PM @ Pocomoke Community Center

1410 Market Street, Pocomoke City, MD.

Doors open at 6:15 PM

Tickets on sale at the door or in advance @ www.bringyourbling.net

Price: $15.00 Adults ~ $12.00 ages 10 and under

Silent Auction and 50/50

All proceeds will be donated to the Courtney Bloxom Fund to purchases special physical therapy equipment costing about $19,000.00 and with other expenses associated with Courtney's care.

Courtney, 2010 Arcadia High School graduate, was seriously injured May 23, 2010 in an auto accident. She remains hospitalized at Riverside Shore LifeCare in Parksley, Va. where she receives daily therapy and other medical care.

Please continue to pray for Courtney.

Elizabeth Taylor Has Died

Elizabeth Taylor died early this morning.Taylor entered Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles two months ago for treatment of symptoms of congestive heart failure.

She was 79 years of age.

Traces of Radiation Detected In Charlottesville, VA-

Frankie Jupiter

WCAV

CHARLOTTESVILLE—

Concern is mounting that the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant has left many people exposed to radiation.

According to a New York Times report, a plume of radiation has traveled to the East Coast and minimal levels of radioactivity have been detected in Charlottesville.

"There are very minute levels, just traces of radiation. The two principle isotopes we can expect to find are Iodine 131 and Cesium 137," explained Grant Goodell, a research professor in the University of Virginia department of environmental sciences.

Iodine 131 and Cesium 137 are dangerous byproducts that in large amounts can cause cancer.The levels are so small, however, experts are adamant there's not enough radiation in Charlottesville to do any damage.

To put the level of radiation in prospective, Professor Goodell says the amount of radiation is no more than what one would find in a banana.

Source; wtkr.comhttp://www.wtvr.com/wtvr-charlottesville-radiation-japan-nuclear,0,1530891.story

Chincoteague Daffodil Festival

Pocomoke Mayoral Cadidate NOW Admits To Lending Violations

If you remember just a few days ago Frank Ward said he had done nothing wrong. Today in a hearing he admits to "unlicensed lending activity". But just as bad as lying, Mr. Ward was a no-show at his own hearing! Why wasn't he there? He had to be out of town. He didn't even have the decency to appear and face the people he cheated. That's not unusual, I guess. He never even had enough respect for the citizens of Pocomoke to announce he was running for Mayor.

This is what Channel 47 WMDT wrote:

The homeowners who accused Ward of mortgage fraud attended the hearing and admit they're pleased with Judge Laurie Bennett's decision to accept the terms of today's settlement between Ward and the Maryland Commission of Financial Regulation. According to the settlement, Ward agreed to cease and desist mortgage lending for 7 years.

"7 years is a long time," says Myra Frazier, the attorney for the homeowners, "I think it's going to have a detrimental impact on his business and I think that more importantly it will prevent future people from being victimized this way." "I'm very happy about that," homeowner, Vicki Ivey, tells WMDT 47 News. "He doesn't need to be practicing or lending...I'm relieved about that." Ivey entered into a mortgage agreement 2 years ago with Ward's company, The Money Centre in Salisbury. Ward's construction company built her home in Princess Anne.

Right now, Ward owes the State of Maryland $75,000 for the investigation and fees. It will be another 2 months before a final settlement order will be drafted, which will include changes to the mortgages and individual settlement plans for each homeowner. The State estimates there could be up to 50 mortgages in question. Ivey and her husband Lloyd say they don't mind the wait considering it took over a year for them to get to this point. The only disappointment of the settlement hearing, Ivey admits, is the fact that Ward was a no show at Tuesday's hearing. "This is a slap on the wrist, again. For him to admit what he's done, but he doesn't show any remorse. Why wasn't he here to say, and look at us, at least to say that he did us wrong?"

Ward's attorney, Melvin Caldwell, said he could not be at the hearing because he was out of town. Caldwell maintains the lending violations are nothing more than "technical violations".

WMDT confirmed Frank Ward is still on the ballot for Pocomoke City Mayor. The city election is in exactly 2 weeks, on Tuesday, April 5th.

Source; wmdt.com http://www.wmdt.com/Global/story.asp?S=14300454

Writers In the Sky?

Did anyone happen to see the figure 8 being made in the sky today? This happened around 3:15 this afternoon.

If I could view if from where I live I know it could be seen for miles.
Maybe a smile face tomorrow.

Who Said It? Ten short questions:

This is a fun quiz. Listed below are 10 direct quotes. You have to guess which American politician said it. Your four choices are:     Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin     Former VP Dan Quayle     President Barack Obama     Former President George W. Bush Ready? Here we go!     1) "Let me be absolutely clear. Israel is a strong friend of Israel's."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     2) "I've now been in 57 states I think I have one left to go."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     3) "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes, and I see many of them in the audience here today."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     4) "What they'll say is, 'Well it costs too much money,' but you know what? It would cost, about. It it it would cost about the same as what we would spend. It. Over the course of 10 years it would cost what it would costs us. (nervous laugh) All right. Okay. We're going to. It. It would cost us about the same as it would cost for about hold on one second. I can't hear myself. But I'm glad you're fired up, though. I'm glad."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     5) "The reforms we seek would bring greater competition, choice, savings and inefficiencies to our health care system."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     6) "I bowled a 129. It's like - it was like the Special Olympics, or something."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     7) "Of the many responsibilities granted to a president by our Constitution, few are more serious or more consequential than selecting a Supreme Court justice. The members of our highest court are granted life tenure, often serving long after the presidents who appointed them. And they are charged with the vital task of applying principles put to paper more than 20 centuries ago to some of the most difficult questions of our time."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     8) "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     9) "It was. interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. There's a lot of I don't know what the term is in Austrian, wheeling and dealing."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush     10) "I have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."         A. Barack Obama         B. Dan Quayle         C. Sarah Palin         D. George W. Bush Sorry. This was a trick quiz. All of the correct answers are the same person. Each of these quotes are directly from President Barack Obama. And now you know why he brings his teleprompter with him everywhere he goes ... even when talking to a 6th grade class!!!  Clueless Hat Tip; Kack

Candidate For Mayor Still Says He Did Nothing Wrong

Is this a new twist in 'meet and greet'?

Here's what WBOC reports on Frank Ward, Candidate for mayor of Pocomoke City.

SALISBURY, Md.- A mayoral candidate in Pocomoke City is under investigation for allegedly scamming people out of their homes, according to Maryland legal documents.

The Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation says businessman Frank Ward, two of his companies, and a business partner, were behind a mortgage fraud scheme.

The state says Ward provided unlicensed mortgage services for 23 loans.

Jermaine and Tylisha Jones are among those listed in legal documents who claim they were defrauded by Ward.

The two says their home off Green Spring Drive in Princess Anne was wrongly foreclosed upon. They say Ward targets people desperate to own a home.

He preys on the fact that you really want to this, that you really want a house for your family," Jermaine Jones says.

The Jones said they were only a month behind on their mortgage, when Ward told them to leave their home last year.

But Ward claims the Jones were a year-and-a-half behind on payments.

Ward denies any wrongdoing.

"Everyone that has complained has been delinquent...I tried to do nothing wrong," Ward said.

Ward's business partner at one of his companies, Salisbury-based The Money Centre, Annette Coston, is also being investigated. Coston declined comment to WBOC.

But according to state legal documents, both made "deliberate misstatements, misrepresentations, and/or omissions during the mortgage lending process with the intent to defraud the borrower."

The second business Ward owns, involved in this investigation, is a Pocomoke City construction company.

The state has ordered Ward, his two companies, and Coston to stop providing mortgage financing and brokering services.

An administrative hearing on the investigation is scheduled for Tuesday. Ward and his attorney said the hearing was canceled, because they've settled the investigation. But, the state has not confirmed that.

The Pocomoke mayoral election is April 5th.

Source; WBOC.com

Shore BEEF and BBQ

First Annual Shore BEEF and BBQ

"THANKS TO OUR LOCAL VOLUNTEER FIREMEN" EVENT

As a way of saying THANKYOU the Shore BEEF and BBQ will be serving a FREE outside buffet to the local active firemen.

Saturday March 26, 2011

11:00 AM until 2:00 PM

6278 Lankford Highway

New Church, Virginia

(just before T's Corner)

Please note that Shore BEEF and BBQ will be open for regular customers on Saturday too.

**Looking for local ladies to make cookies for the event and can be dropped off the day before.**

Miss Hope Eastern Shore Pageant

Tickets are going fast!

Order yours today at www.bringyourbling.net. Tickets already purchased may be picked up at the door the night of the pageant.

Saturday March 26, 2011

7:00 PM until 10:00 PM

1410 Market Street

Pocomoke City, Maryland

Pocomoke Community Center

100% of these proceeds go the Courtney Bloxom Fund.

Please continue to pray for Courtney. Your prayers are being heard and are deeply appreciated.

Jurors Give Sentenced Gang Member Something To Think About

Jurors had some fun recently when recommending a sentence for Randy P. Broward in a Newport News gang murder conspiracy case — including selecting a blue marker to fill out some of the paperwork in the case.

Broward, 33, of Hampton, was accused of, among other things, ordering three gang underlings to kill three men — a plot that was foiled when one of the gang members went to his mother about the command, and she got the police involved.

The 12-member jury gave him the maximum prison time — life plus 237 years — for the 20 charges. They also fined Broward $75,000 on four of the counts, explaining later that they chose that number because Broward forced a prostitute and gang member to give him 75 percent of her earnings.

Jurors also told prosecutors that they chose blue ink when filling out the verdict and sentencing forms — a bid to tweak Broward, a member of the Bloods gang, which favors all things red. Blue is the color of their bitter rivals, the Crips.

"They went out and got a pen that was clearly blue, like a magic marker," said Senior Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Chad Perkins. "They wanted him to take that back to his cell and think about it."

Source; dailypress http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-crime-notebook-0320-20110319,0,7960760.story

Local Group Will Hold Meeting

Hear Our Voices, a non-partisan group formed by Accomack County Citizens will hold a meeting on Thursday March 24th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Board Chambers in Accomac.

Donald Hart, Chairman of Accomack County Board of Supervisors will be at the meeting to hear suggestions and answer questions from citizens.

This is the first of a series of meetings with Supervisors, Constitutional Officers and other guest speakers scheduled to appear at regular meetings on the 4th Thursday of each month. For more information, visit http://www.hovaccomack.com/.

~Generating public awareness issues.~

Speak With Candidate Duffy

MEET & GREET
Candidate Duffy
for Pocomoke City
Mayor

Wednesday March 23, 2011
6-8 PM
Don's Seafood Restaurant
US Hwy 13/Lankford Highway
South of Pocomoke City


JOIN US FOR A TIME TO CHAT,
REFRESHMENTS, AND SHARE
YOUR THOUGHTS FOR
POCOMOKE CITY.
Registration required---(443) 735-8462

Paid Political Ad by authority Edean Bundick, Treasurer, for Candidate, Dr. Lynn DUFFY

Body Of Virginia Teacher In Japan Located

I'm sure most of you have been following the story of Taylor Anderson, the young woman from Virginia who has been in Japan on a teaching assignment. Just a few days ago Ms. Anderson's parents were on national television overjoyed that their daughter had been located and would be returning home. Within 24 hours that joy turned into fear as they were told there had been a horrible mistake and their daughter had not been located.

The parents learned today that the body of their beloved daughter has been located.

RICHMOND, Va. -- The body of Taylor Anderson, a 24-year-old graduate of St. Catherine's School and Randolph-Macon College who was in Japan on a teaching program when the earthquake and tsunami struck, has been found, her family announced today.

The Midlothian family said in a statement that they were told in a phone call from the U.S. Embassy in Japan.

"It is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the US Embassy in Japan that they had found our beloved Taylor's body," the family said in the statement. "We would like to thank all those who's prayers and support have carried us through this crisis. Please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of Japan. We ask that that you respect our privacy during this hard time. "

Taylor Anderson had been has been teaching English to kindergarten, lower school and junior high school students in Ishinomaki, a coastal city of about 163,000 in the Miyagi Prefecture as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program for more than two years. She was due to return home in August.

Source; www.timesdispatch.com

It's Spring!

~~HAPPY SPRING~~

~CELEBRATE THE SEASON~

Thundershowers around today.......take an umbrella.

~Save The Dates~

Winter has left us and Spring is finally here! Melson's Tractor Pull has it's schedule for the season and just waiting for the first race day!

NEW THIS YEAR: ALL events will be held on SATURDAY!

Mud Bog, Sand Drag, Truck/Tractor Pull, and Garden Tractor Pull

2011 SCHEDULE

SAVE THESE DATES!

Saturday May 14th

June 11th

July 9th

August 13th

September 10th

October 8th

November 12th

Your favorite drivers will be there so be sure you are! Fun for the whole family and now it's all in ONEday.
Stay tuned for more information. If you are interested in participating click onto the link at the side of this blog.

See you there!

Happening Right Now!!

BE SURE TO GET OUTSIDE TONIGHT AND LOOK AT THE MOON!

Send us your photos!

Quiz for Bright People There are only nine questions. This is a quiz for people who know everything!

 
These are not trick questions.  They are straight questions with straight answers...
1. Name the one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward? 
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year.  What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
5. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
6. Only three words in standard English begin with the letters ' dw' and they are all common words. Name two of them.
7. There are 14 punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name at least half of them?
8. Name the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form except fresh.
9. Name 6 or more things that you can wear on your feet beginning with the letter 'S.'
 
 
 
 
 
  Answers To Quiz:
1. The one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the
    score or the leader until the contest ends:   Boxing.
2. North American landmark constantly moving backward:   Niagara Falls .   The rim is worn down about two and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.
3. Only two vegetables that can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons: Asparagus and rhubarb.
4. The fruit with its seeds on the outside:   Strawberry.
5. How did the pear get inside the brandy bottle?   It grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the entire growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
6. Three English words beginning with dw:   Dwarf, dwell and dwindle...
7. Fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar:   Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, brackets, parenthesis, braces, and ellipses. 
8. The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh:   Lettuce.
9. Six or more things you can wear on your feet beginning with 'S':   Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilts.


Hat Tip; Kack

FIELD NOTES ~ By Delegate Mike McDermott

Observations and Reflections on Legislative Activities

By Delegate Mike McDermott

March 14th-18th, 2011

On Monday evening prior to session, there was a significant union rally on the Lawyer’s Mall which greeted us as we moved toward the State House. It was all about the Governor’s budget and their dislike for what has been proposed by the O’Malley Administration. I found it interesting that the governor actually came out and took the stage to speak to the crowd and proclaimed, “I don’t like the budget either!!!” Of course, the crowd was happy about this proclamation. So, I guess it may be true for democratic governor’s in Annapolis...you can have your cake and eat it too!

On Tuesday morning, the session was brief and we only voted on one bill:

HB-209: Vote 139-0 On Third Reader in Favor. Authorizing the purchase of agricultural land preservation easements if the land meets specified requirements and is subject to specified regulations governing the use of the land; clarifying that specified provisions of the Act do not exempt a landowner from complying with specified local laws or State or local requirements; prohibiting land subject to agricultural easement from being used for specified purposes; allowing a landowner to reserve up to three 1-acre lots to construct single-family residential dwellings, etc.

On Tuesday afternoon, I met with a sub committee to review the Child Neglect statute being championed by Lt. Governor Brown. We made many recommendations for changing the bill and hope to have it ready for committee soon.

On Tuesday, the following bills were heard in the Judicary Committee

HB-1174: Would give more power to the Division of Parole and Probation when it comes to reimposing sentences for violations of parole or probation. It would allow for lesser sentences on minor offenses and should reduce some prison costs.

HB-899: Would provide police powers to a unit within the Division of which deal specifically with the apprehension of offenders on Warrant Retake Orders. Currently, officers are not able to arrest for violations which occur in the process of their warrant service or other related actions.

HB-677: Would make it a crime in Maryland for any municipality or government to grant “sanctuary status” to illegal aliens. It would require the state to enforce federal laws addressing illegal immigration. It was argued clearly on both sides, but it is clear that Maryland is fast becoming a sanctuary for illegal immigrants due to our lax enforcement policies and the current lack of enforcement by authorities from ICE.

HB-724: Would increase the statute of limitations for 4th Degree Sex Offense from one year to three. This bill will probably be amended to allow for extended limitations in the case where a victim is a juvenile.

HB-898: Would not allow for Bondsmen to fail to collect the full amount of their bond premium through various finance arrangements made with bonding companies. It does not allow for these companies to finance bonds, merely have an arrangement for collecting payment over time.

HB-1207: Would allow local government entities to prohibit the sale of drug paraphernalia to a minor. It allows for the revocation of business licenses, etc by the local authorities for violations. It is believed that this type of tie in would impact the sale of drug paraphernalia items to minors locally. Based on questions asked, the bill may create confusion across county or municipal boundaries.

HB-1075: Would repeal the Death Penalty in Maryland. This bill seeks to respond to the finding of the Maryland Commission on Capitol Punishment completed in 2008 which recommended abolishing the death penalty in Maryland in favor of Life in Prison.

HB-1074: Would provide an exemption for any Division of Correction employee or other related service employee to exempt themselves from participating in the process of a state execution. This is a no brainer, though, in all fairness, we simply do not exercise the death penalty in Maryland.

HB-804: Would require the MVA to place a certain notation on the driver’s license and state issued ID’s of convicted sex offenders. It is said this may aid law enforcement officers in identifying potential bad guys who may be involved in an abduction when stopped for another violation.

HB-1128: Would alter the definition of sexual contact to include any penetration by any part of the body or object. The current law does not make provision for penetration by other parts of the human body. Some recent cases have made this an issue that needs to be addressed according to some state’s attorney’s who testified in favor of the bill.

On Wednesday, the following bills were heard in the Judiciary Committee:

HB-1277: Would set the policy of the State so as to encourage the use of special needs trusts or supplemental needs trusts by individuals with disabilities of all ages to preserve funds in order to provide for the needs of the individuals not met by public benefits and to enhance their quality of life. The bill encourages self reliance on the part of those with disabilities.

HB-1296: Would allow for the electronic transmission of Eviction related documents. This is currently being done manually by the Clerks and Sheriff’s Office personnel. This would save time and certainly speed up the process by which these papers are transferred and eventually served.

On Thursday morning, the following bills were presented for Third Reader:

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #18

HB 86

Third Reading Passed (104-33)

HB 110

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 263

Third Reading Passed (136-0)

HB 435

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 463

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 481

Third Reading Passed (137-3)

HB 486

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 507

Third Reading Passed (94-46)

HB 522

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 581

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #19

HB 621

Third Reading Passed (137-2)

HB 630

Third Reading Passed (135-5)

HB 634

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 667

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 674

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 679

Third Reading Passed (103-35)

HB 727

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 729

Third Reading Passed (108-32)

HB 749

Third Reading Passed (119-20)

HB 833

Third Reading Passed (130-3)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #20

HB 837

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 849

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 864

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 877

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 913

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 972

Third Reading Passed (130-10)

HB 994

Third Reading Passed (122-9)

HB 1017

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 1018

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 1025

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 1088

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

On Thursday afternoon, the Judiciary Committee heard the following bills:

HB-1118: Requiring the juvenile court, in specified child in need of assistance hearings, to send written findings to specified individuals and agencies if the court finds that specified reasonable efforts were made but that a specified condition exists. Bills like this are generally procedural applications which may slightly modify one aspect of an existing law.

HB-1190: Seeks to expand a pilot program dealing with children in need of supervision to Cecil County and Prince Georges County. The program has been used successfully to divert children from the juvenile delinquency system. They wish to see it work in a more rural county. The bill carries a fiscal note of $250,000.00 and this may be a stumbling block.

HB-790: Seeks to create a crime of Home Invasion and see it classified as a violent crime. There was testimony that these crimes are often being treated as property crimes instead of violent offenses. We heard from several victims of home invasions.

HB-1305: Would expand the notification that a school receives when a student is arrested for certain offenses. It would add the charges of drug distribution to the offenses reported to certain school officials. This makes a lot of sense.

HB-825: Would provide a method for a juvenile defendant who has been waived to adult court to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals. This may create some unnecessary delays in criminal trials for a very low number of instances annually in Maryland. I think it may need further review before implementation.

On Friday, the following bills were voted on during the morning session:

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #21

HB 124

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 128

Third Reading Passed (118-22)

HB 245

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 268

Third Reading Passed (138-1)

HB 279

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 376

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 417

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 466

Third Reading Passed (127-11)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #22

HB 476

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 506

Third Reading Passed (136-2)

HB 535

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 637

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 643

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 944

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 1093

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #23

HB 38

Third Reading Passed (108-30)

HB 188

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 195

Third Reading Passed (102-36)

HB 203

Third Reading Passed (133-4)

HB 286

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 413

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 453

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #24

HB 456

Third Reading Passed (130-8)

HB 468

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 479

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 482

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 542

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 543

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 545

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 590

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #25

HB 596

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 597

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 600

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 741

Motion Special Order until 3/22 (Delegate Feldman) Adopted

HB 752

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 793

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

HB 888

Third Reading Passed (140-0)

Third Reading Calendar (House Bills) #26

HB 940

Third Reading Passed (133-6)

HB 953

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 973

Third Reading Passed (137-0)

HB 996

Third Reading Passed (139-0)

HB 1028

Third Reading Passed (125-14)

HB 1095

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

HB 1119

Third Reading Passed (138-0)

On Friday afternoon, the Judiciary Committee voted on the following bills:

Favorable: HB-921, HB-1072, HB-1118, HB-1174

Unfavorable: HB-835, H-872, HB-1037,

Don't Miss The FULL Full Moon

Mark your calendar. On March 19th, a full Moon of rare size and beauty will rise in the east at sunset. It's a super "perigee moon"--the biggest in almost 20 years.

"The last full Moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993," says Geoff Chester of the US Naval Observatory in Washington DC. "I'd say it's worth a look."

Full Moons vary in size because of the oval shape of the Moon's orbit. It is an ellipse with one side (perigee) about 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other (apogee): diagram. Nearby perigee moons are about 14% bigger and 30% brighter than lesser moons that occur on the apogee side of the Moon's orbit.

"The full Moon of March 19th occurs less than one hour away from perigee--a near-perfect coincidence¹ that happens only 18 years or so," adds Chester. A perigee full Moon brings with it extra-high "perigean tides," but this is nothing to worry about, according to NOAA. In most places, lunar gravity at perigee pulls tide waters only a few centimeters (an inch or so) higher than usual. Local geography can amplify the effect to about 15 centimeters (six inches)--not exactly a great flood.

Indeed, contrary to some reports circulating the Internet, perigee Moons do not trigger natural disasters. The "super moon" of March 1983, for instance, passed without incident. And an almost-super Moon in Dec. 2008 also proved harmless.

Okay, the Moon is 14% bigger than usual, but can you really tell the difference? It's tricky. There are no rulers floating in the sky to measure lunar diameters. Hanging high overhead with no reference points to provide a sense of scale, one full Moon can seem much like any other.

The best time to look is when the Moon is near the horizon. That is when illusion mixes with reality to produce a truly stunning view. For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging Moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. On March 19th, why not let the "Moon illusion" amplify a full Moon that's extra-big to begin with? The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it.

Don't bother. Even a super perigee Moon is still 356,577 km away. That is, it turns out, a distance of rare beauty.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16mar_supermoon/

Don't Forget To Stop By Shore Beef and BBQ

While out running errands today stop by Shore Beef and BBQ for lunch or take something home for dinner.

Today's Special

Pulled chicken, one side and a drink - $7.50


Route 13 South~ Just before T's Corner

This Saturday At The Delmarva Discovery Center

The Delmarva Discovery Center

Saturday, March 19, 2011

12:00 PM until 4:00 PM

Vernal Pool Herp Search

"'Herps' are reptiles and amphibians. March is a great time to look for amphibians in vernal, or temporary spring pools. Join us for a fun afternoon and learn how to become a citzen scientist as you record your data for the Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas! Search will either be in Cypress Park or we will carpool to nearby areas. Meet at the DDC, and wear clothes and shoes that can get muddy! You may want to bring a camera to document your finds."

For more info go to: www.delmarvadiscoverycenter.org

~Make Plans To Attend~

POCOMOKE COMMUNITY AWARENESS MEETING

SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2011

POCOMOKE LIBRARY, MARKET STREET

MEETING BEGINS AT 10:00 AM

Please make plans to attend and meet with other citizens to discuss the problems in Pocomoke. Your opinions are needed.

Sheriff Updates Worcester County Citizens

(From the Editor - The following letter was addressed to Worcester County residents and a request to publish sent to this paper. Maryland Coast Dispatch)

Dear Worcester County Residents,

I have been in office as your Sheriff for three months. As your sheriff, I ride our county roads every day and sometimes at night. One day a week, when possible, I leave the office and patrol the county the entire day, always looking at ways to better serve and make you safe.

In December 2010, I was sworn in as your sheriff. I immediately appointed my chief deputy, J. Dale Smack, and operations officer, Col. Doug Dods, two outstanding individuals and leaders.

I then met with my command staff about promotions in our agency. Promotions can be very difficult when you have so many good deputies and very few openings. I am blessed to have outstanding employees sworn and civilian.

In January, two sergeants were promoted to lieutenant, Lt. Andy McGee and Lt. Eddy Schreier. With these promotions, I am able to have someone in command until 3 a.m. and sometimes later. Previously, when command staff went off duty at 5 p.m., to speak with command you had to wait until the next morning. With the opening of slots at Ocean Downs, a commander is able to maintain the impact it has on our county and see if we need to address any issues.

Det. Sgt. Nate Passwaters was promoted. He is in charge of the Criminal Enforcement Team (narcotics, tobacco, high profile criminals). Team members are the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, ATF, feds, Virginia State Police, Accomack County Sheriff’s Office, and just recently, the Ocean City Police Department and the Maryland State Police have also joined with us. Having these agencies all working together to cross state lines and throughout our county targeting drug dealers is outstanding. Many arrests have been made and more will come.

Promoted to sergeant, Matt Crisafulli, our D.A.R.E. deputy assigned to our schools to teach the dangers of alcohol, tobacco, drugs and bullying of other students. More programs are being looked at by our School Resource Deputies, as we are reaching out to our students to be more productive in school and be model students.

Three deputies were promoted to corporal. Cpl. Katie Edgar, who now is in charge of our K-9 program, Cpl. Bethany Ramey, who is a member of our CET, and Cpl. Lisa Maurer, who is part of our civil division, as well as our agency quarter master. All of these promotions will better serve the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and our county.

Later this year, more promotions are expected. With retirements this past year, I have hired four new trainee/deputy sheriffs — two from Pocomoke, one from Snow Hill and one from Somerset County — and they will graduate in June from the Police Academy. I want to give our young people the opportunity to begin their career with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and hopefully, they will end their career with us.
With retirements and the new positions, this is a savings in our budget. A new policy that I have enacted is, anyone I hire full time who resides outside of Worcester County has one year to relocate here, in order to have a take home vehicle.

I have hired a retired Worcester County Sheriff captain part time to manage our evidence room. This position was being held by a full-time lieutenant. This is another huge savings in our budget and frees up time for the full-time lieutenant to handle other duties. I have hired a retired detective/ Maryland State Trooper to work in the child advocacy center on crimes that are committed on our children. This detective worked many years in this field and we are very fortunate to have him on board. This position is funded by a grant and will cover costs of salary, vehicle and equipment.

I have assigned two part-time deputies to our sex offender program. We have reached a high of 84 and that figure is going to increase with new laws coming in effect. We constantly monitor these individuals, where they live and their work place.

More bars and stores will be checked throughout our county to make sure they are not selling alcohol or tobacco to minors. I expect businesses to train their employees to look for false ID’s.

At one time we provided court security for only two courts; today, we provide coverage for seven courts, plus our government center. The parttimers handling these duties do an outstanding job.

We recently met with the county on our budget for 2011-2012. We have been told not to ask for any additional money in the new budget. We will honor that request and our budget committee has shuffled money around in accounts to cover other accounts. Using our part-time deputies in differ- ent roles and reassignments of fulltime deputies makes our agency better. I will continue to look at ways to make our county a safer place.

Meetings are being set up throughout the county for county residents to come and voice their concerns. Please be a voice for your community. If you see any suspicious activity, give us a call. Be involved for a safer county.

This past week, our agency honored retired Sheriff Charles T. Martin at the Grand Hotel in Ocean City. Many of his relatives and friends and law enforcement attended this event to honor Sheriff Martin for 16 years of outstanding service to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office and our residents. We will certainly miss him.

Reggie T. Mason

Sheriff of Worcester County

AMAZING, SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

THESE REALLY WORK!! and confirmed via Snopes.

AMAZING, SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES:

1. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

2. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

3. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS.  REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

4. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

5. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

6. YOU NEED ONLY TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE.  IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40.  IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE. 

7. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.

THOUGHT for the day:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRINGA SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN THEY'RE PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS.


SOME ADDITIONAL ADVICE:
NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, TAKE A LAXATIVE AND SLEEPING PILLS ON THE SAME NIGHT

Seafood Festival Canceled By Virginia Chamber of Commerce

The Eastern Shore of Virginia Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that it will not be holding the Seaside Festival that was advertised for June 3, 2011.

"It's in the best interest of all of our members to not hold this new event this year," said Jean Hungiville, Interim President. "When George McMath so generously offered his gorgeous property, Edgewater, we were excited to have the opportunity to have a festival on one of the most incredible settings one could possibly hope for; however we also realize the Festival should measure up to the beauty of the site.

She added, "People who are interested in attending a spring seafood festival, are encouraged to attend the Chincoteague Seafood Festival on May 7th. We strongly support the Chincoteague Seafood Festival. We've met with the Chincoteague Chamber and have offered to help with volunteers and the loan of equipment if needed."

The ESVA Chamber will be calling everyone who purchased Seaside Festival tickets to offer them a refund or the first tickets to the 19th annual Harvest Festival at Sunset Beach Resort on October 5th when they become available in the next few weeks.

Source; shoredailynews