No Taxpayer Dollars Are Planned To Be Use In Tangier Barge Project

No taxpayer dollars are planned to be used in a project initiated by Congressman Scott Rigell to help ease erosion on Tangier Island.

In a conference call on Monday morning, Rigell said that as of now no taxpayer dollars will be spent. Rigell, along with Ron Mills of Bay Bridge Enterprises, Mayor James Eskridge of Tangier, and Town Council Member laid out the plan to sink barges on the Islands east side.

Mills said the barges that will be used are seaworthy, will have never been used to transport oil or other substances that could harm the environment, but can no longer be used for commercial undertakings.

The barges will be placed in strategic locations, sunk and then anchored. In the fall, the Army Corps of Engineers will conduct a dredging operation near Tangier Island. Mills said hopefully those involved in this project will be able to convince the Army Corps of Engineers to dump the spoils on and around the sunken barges.

Bay Bridge Enterprises will work in cooperation with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Virginia Marine Resources Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation will also be involved.

Rigell said this project will be complimentary with already existing projects to help erosion and it will help protect the jobs and livelihood of the watermen on Tangier.

Rigell hopes the project will be finished in 3 months, but said 6 months is a more realistic goal.

Source; shoredailynews.com

The Captains Cove Golf and Yacht Club in Greenbackville

The Captains Cove Golf and Yacht Club in Greenbackville, Virginia will cosponser with the  Breast Health & Healing Foundation (BH&HF) a Cancer Tournament on July 9th at 9:00 a.m.  The Tournament will be an 18 hole Florida Scramble with lots of prizes to win and a hat for everyone.  $20 for members and $25 for non members.  Call 757-824-3465 Pro shop

~Clever Inventions~

Things that make you go hmmmm...........OR "why didn't I think of that!"

This gizmo is for the purpose of saving the lives of frogs, toads, lizards, etc. that may get sucked into the skimmer in your swimming pool. You don't  have to pull their lifeless bodies out with your bare hands.  And since these small creatures have no GPS tracking devices it gives them a moment to rest and realise they made the wrong turn. 

So far it works!!

NBC APOLOGIZES...............

By Cindy Boren

NBC apologizes for cutting “under God” from Pledge of Allegiance before U.S. Open

NBC apologized for cutting the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance in its leadup to coverage to the U.S. Open at Congressional Country Club.

The move quickly drew criticism Dan Hicks said, during the broadcast of Open action:
“We began our coverage of this final round just about three hours ago and when we did it was our intent to begin the coverage of this U.S. Open Championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being held in our nation’s capital for the third time. Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it.”

Source; http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/post/nbc-apologizes-for-cutting-under-god-from-pledge-of-allegiance-before-us-open/2011/06/19/AG8MgtbH_blog.html?hpid=z3

Pocomoke Mayor and Council Meeting Tonight

A G E N D A

POCOMOKE CITY MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

7:30 p.m., Monday, June 20, 2011

City Hall

1.      Call to Order, Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance.

2.      Review and approval of minutes from meeting of June 6, 2011.

3.      Review and approval of bills to be paid.

4.      Second Reading of Res. No. 447 to set the tax rate for 2011-2012.

5.      Second Reading of Res. No.  448 to adopt the proposed budget for fiscal year 2011-2012.

6.      Second Reading of Res. No.  449 to establish certain City fees and other charges for fiscal year 2011-2012.

7.      Review proposed revised contract for restaurant building construction (Gillis/Gilkerson – low bidder). 

8.      Discuss request for abatement of real property taxes and waiver of water and sewer fees for Marva Theater.

9.      Discuss request from Great Fair Committee for funding for 2011 Great Fair.

10.  Review letter from Eastern Shore Gas Company regarding proposed upgrade of underground utility lines.

11.  Discuss proposed annual tax abatement for properties on Taylor Avenue and others.

12.  Review recommendation from Police Chief Ervin regarding new vehicles.

13.  Discussion of proposal by State of Maryland to increase tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Comments from the Audience.

Mayor and Council Items.

Adjourn .

AGENDAS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE TIME OF CONVENING.

FATHER'S DAY

Ever notice how FATHER'S DAY never seems to get all the hoopla that Mother's Day does?  It really should.  After all, if you grew up in a family where the parents shared responsibily with the kids then it should pretty well even itself out when it comes to a separate day to celebrate each one. 

 I'm sure so many  wonderful father's celebrated the day with their children and grandchildren with bbqs and dinners and anything else that made the day special for dear old DAD.

I'm not much on celebrating either of the days now that both of my parents are no longer living.  My sister, brother and I had a Father that never needed a special day.  He knew that every day for him was Father's Day.  We are so thankful he was chosen to be our dad.  He was special.  His memories are special.  And the fact that all through our lives our father was always there for us - through the good times and the bad times, with words of comfort or words of.......well, you know what kind of words those were.  But he was THERE!~

But did anyone stop to wonder how DEADBEAT DADS celebrate FATHER'S DAY??

Kids Fined for Operating a lemonade stand For Charity

 This is just sickening. Our Government has become extremely too intrusive. When children are actually approached and given a $500.00 fine for selling lemonade for charity is just way, way, overboard in my opinion. And as long as we stand idly by and let the government get away with these kind of Marxist tactics they will only continue to 'progressively' get worse.

This happened right here in our state, make some phone calls, write some letters, however you can think of a way to contact our representatives do it, and tell them what you think about the government shutting down and fining these big hearted children 500 bucks when all they wanted to do was raise some money for charity. Good grief, it was a simple lemonade stand that I'm sure a lot of you had at least one of in your youth or that your children may have or planning on having during the dog days of summer. 




A group of young entrepreneurs got an icy reception by Maryland law enforcement this week, when their lemonade stand on the road to the U.S. Open golf tournament earned the children a $500 fine. 'Today' correspondent Savannah Guthrie chronicles the controversial lemonade stand permit debacle. Footage shows the kids selling their ice cold summery drinks as Guthrie reports, "A group of children set up a lemonade stand outside the tournament venue to raise money for pediatric cancer, but the Maryland county hosting the Open slapped the kids with a $500 fine for operating without a vending license."

The parents in the case are furious over the heavy-handed fine. "They say they're going to help these 4- to 10-year-olds continue to operate the stand throughout the tournament, no matter what the county does,"


VIA: MyDaily

Homeless Man Max Melitzer Learns He's Rich

SALT LAKE CITY -- A private investigator says he has tracked down a homeless Utah man and delivered some good news: He's inherited a lot of money.

David Lundberg said he found Max Melitzer pushing a shopping cart filled with personal possessions in a Salt Lake City park Saturday afternoon.

Lundberg declined to disclose how much money Melitzer will be receiving, but said the man's brother who died of cancer last year left him a "significant" amount in his will.

"He'll no longer be living on the street or in abandoned storage sheds," he told The Associated Press. "He'll be able to have a normal life, and be able to have a home, provide for himself, and purchase clothing, food and health care."

The story about Lundberg's two-month search for Lundberg has been reported by the Deseret News and KSL of Salt Lake City.

Lundberg said he was hired by the family's New York law firm to locate Melitzer, and some family members plan to meet Melitzer next week in Salt Lake City. He declined to identify them.

Melitzer's family wishes to remain private, and lawyers are deferring questions to Lundberg.

The investigator said he broke the news to Melitzer while they were sitting on a bench at Pioneer Park. While Lundberg said he didn't tell Melitzer how much money he was inheriting, the man was excited.

"He's still in shock. This came out of nowhere," Lundberg said. "He's a really mellow guy in his 60s, very sweet and more articulate than I thought for a man in his position."

Melitzer has been homeless for years and last had mail correspondence with his family in September. But when family members gave him a number to phone, he never called.

Don Hill, house manager at the Rescue Mission of Salt Lake, told Lundberg on Friday that he had seen Melitzer near the facility two days earlier.

Hill said he has known the homeless man for four years, and Melitzer stayed at places like the Rescue Mission when he's not roaming between Salt Lake City and Ogden.

"During the summer, I'd imagine, once in a while he'll stay out nights – outside," Hill told the Deseret News.

Earlier this month, a police officer found Melitzer sleeping in a car in an Ogden salvage yard.

Lundberg said Melitzer was taken Saturday to an undisclosed location in Salt Lake City and doesn't want to talk to the media right now. But Lundberg said he would talk to family members about possibly holding a news conference next week.

The investigator said he found Melitzer with the help of a tip. He received about 60 or 70 such calls after news about his search went out Friday.

"Someone called today (Saturday) and said they saw him at Pioneer Park. I thought it was another crazy tip, but sure enough, there he was," Lundberg said.

VIA: AOL Weird News

Little Weiner

Rigell: Use Old Barges To Stem Tangier Island Erosion

By Scott Harper

The Virginia Pilot

U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell thinks he might have an answer to the erosion problems that threaten to wash away Tangier Island: anchor old barges along the shoreline, without any cost to taxpayers.

Rigell, a freshman Republican from Virginia Beach, also represents the Eastern Shore and Tangier Island. He says a local salvage company is willing to donate as many as four barges to act as breakwaters near the main channel leading into Tangier Harbor.

Wave action beats up many of the commercial fishing boats that call Tangier Island home. The fishing mecca in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay is losing between 4 and 12 feet a year to rising sea levels, exposure to storms, and sinking land.

"These people are desperate for help, else there might not be a Tangier Island anymore," Rigell said in a phone interview Friday.

On Monday, Rigell is scheduled to be on the island to discuss his rescue plan with Tangier's mayor and the
local contractor, Bay Bridge Enterprises. The Chesapeake-based company not only salvages barges, but also recycles unwanted ships from the James River Reserve Fleet, also known as the Ghost Fleet.

Rigell said he expects to move quickly, perhaps deploying the barges within the next month. The barges would be thoroughly cleaned before being placed.

But state regulators and scientists said such a project would have to undergo rigorous review and be approved by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coast Guard.

Scott Hardaway, a coastal engineering expert with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said the Eastern Shore already has marine vessels acting as breakwaters - concrete ships anchored off Kiptopeke State Park.

He said much more information is needed before regulators would agree to the project: How would the barges be anchored? At what depths would they be placed? Are there underwater grasses on the site?



This is an ariel photo of Tangier Island. Note the well defined hook on the southern end of the island. This photo was taken in the 1980's.



"I would definitely say the commission would have some concerns with placing barges in the Bay like that," said Hank Badger, who reviews shoreline construction projects for the state marine commission. "But hey, stranger things have been approved, and if it can help, I'm sure we'd look at it."

Federal and state funds have been used to build a seawall near Tangier Island's airfield and sewage treatment plant. The Army Corps of Engineers also is studying the placement of a new jetty on the fast-eroding north end of the island, but those projects can take years to finish.
Tangier cannot wait that long, Rigell argued, noting that federal money is scarce these days.

"This doesn't cost anything," he said, "and we could get them some temporary relief by using the barges."
Also next week, Rigell intends to discuss another dicey issue on the Eastern Shore: beach parking at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.

The refuge is considering buying a neighboring campground in case natural forces continue to eat away at beachfront parking areas.

Citing concerns from Chincoteague business and tourism interests, Rigell said he is worried that the government wants to do away with such waterside parking and instead shuttle visitors to the beach in trams and buses.

"I'm deeply concerned about a hyperactive, overly intrusive federal government impacting one of the great tourist attractions on the Eastern Shore," he said.

Kim Halpin, deputy refuge manager, said no decisions have been made and officials are only looking ahead for issues that might arise over the next 20 years. One of those could be a loss of beachfront parking due to encroaching sands and water along the barrier island, she added.

"Our parking areas are shrinking now," Halpin said. "There might not be land available in the future, so we're looking to preserve that" by negotiating for the campground sale.

Source;  http://hamptonroads.com.nyud.net/2011/06/rigell-use-old-barges-stem-tangier-island-erosion

Clarence 'Big Man' Clemons - RIP

Oh, that saxophone!  Today I am reminded of the albums "Asbury Park, New Jersey" and "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle".

Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen's longtime saxophone player and a legend in the music industry, died Saturday from complications following a stroke he suffered about a week ago.

Clemons' sax has been one of the most defining elements of the E Street Band's sound. He has suffered from numerous ailments over the last few years. He had double knee surgery and even had to perform from a wheelchair at one point.

But his health seemed to be improving. Just last month, he performed with Lady Gaga on the season finale of "American Idol."

Clemons scored a Top 20 hit in 1985 with the song "You're a Friend of Mine," a duet with Jackson Browne that appears on Clemons' album "Hero." Clemons was 69 years old.

The Newark Star-Ledger reports that: "Springsteen's oft-told story of his initial meeting with Clemons felt Biblical: with a lightning storm raging outside, the Big Man tore the door off an Asbury Park club, strode onstage, and made magic. Springsteen would later immortalize this meeting in "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," a song on "Born to Run.""

Clemons was born in Norfolk, Va., to a Baptist minister who had no love for rock 'n' roll, The Star-Ledger reports. However, he got a saxophone at age 9, and when a car accident ruined his budding football career after college, he dedicated himself to music.

WBOC.com

TIME MACHINE ... January, 1880

(The New York Times)

Baltimore, Jan.7. - Advises from Pocomoke City note a curious sequel to the sensation caused a fortnight ago by the scandalous charges brought by Mrs. Polk against ex-State Senator Aydelotte, of entering her house during the absence of her husband and attempting to violate her person. Aydelotte is a conspicuous pillar of the Presbyterian Church. The Rev. Mr. Brown is an eloquent speaker and popular Pastor of the Presbyterian flock, having accepted a call from the West to take the Pocomoke City charge. The congregation has been violently agitated by the charges against Aydelotte, and a split is threatened. On Sunday the church was crowded, but in place of a sermon the Rev. Mr. Brown gave from the pulpit a scathing diatribe, denouncing Aydelotte and the whole community. He came there, he said, supposing he was coming into a Christian, moral, community, but found himself among a people without principle or morality, lost to all sense of shame, rotten to the core. He was ashamed to acknowledge his residence there, and recently in Philadelphia he could not acknowledge to a brother clergyman that he belonged to Pocomoke. He ended by resigning his pastorate, and the congregation dispersed in high dudgeon. The excitement throughout the county is intense.

Next time on the TIME MACHINE: In 1924 a movement against bootlegging, swearing, unclean stories and the like were part of an old fashioned revival that started in Pocomoke City and was sweeping the Delmarva Peninsula.

Pig Roast and Karaoke Tonight At Furnace Town

PIG PICKIN’ PARTY SATURDAY NIGHT

AT FURNACE TOWN

WHEN: Saturday, June 18, 2011

TIME: Pig Roast starting at 6:00 p.m.

Music/karaoke 8:00 p.m. – 12 midnight

COST: $20.00/person includes dinner and admission

$6.00/children ages 2 – 13

$5.00/admission without dinner

WHERE: Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum

Located on Old Furnace Road, off Route 12, five miles north of Snow Hill, Maryland

Music provided by

"BIG AL"

Beer available

Please call 410-632-2032 for more info

Mayor and Council Meeting

A G E N D A

POCOMOKE CITY MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEETING

7:30 p.m., Monday, June 20, 2011

City Hall

1.      Call to Order, Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance.

2.      Review and approval of minutes from meeting of June 6, 2011.

3.      Review and approval of bills to be paid.

4.      Second Reading of Res. No. 447 to set the tax rate for 2011-2012.

5.      Second Reading of Res. No.  448 to adopt the proposed budget for fiscal year 2011-2012.

6.      Second Reading of Res. No.  449 to establish certain City fees and other charges for fiscal year 2011-2012.

7.      Review proposed revised contract for restaurant building construction (Gillis/Gilkerson – low bidder). 

8.      Discuss request for abatement of real property taxes and waiver of water and sewer fees for Marva Theater.

9.      Discuss request from Great Fair Committee for funding for 2011 Great Fair.

10.  Review letter from Eastern Shore Gas Company regarding proposed upgrade of underground utility lines.

11.  Discuss proposed annual tax abatement for properties on Taylor Avenue and others.

12.  Review recommendation from Police Chief Ervin regarding new vehicles.

13.  Discussion of proposal by State of Maryland to increase tolls on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Comments from the Audience.

Mayor and Council Items.

Adjourn .

AGENDAS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE TIME OF CONVENING.

Accomack County Will Hire Independent Auditor

Now maybe Accomack County will begin to make progress with those unpaid taxes!

At Wednesday's Accomack County Board of Supervisor's meeting, Supervisor Robert Crockett made the suggestion that the Board hire an auditor to examine the County's tax system.

Crockett stated that he believes the best way to make a better system for tax collection is to retain the services of an independent auditor to examine the offices of the Treasurer, Commissioner of Revenue, Director of Finance and the Assessor to identify any problems that may exist.

The Board voted unanimously to spend up to $7,500 to hire an independent auditor.

Source; shoredailynews.com

Don't Miss The Final Night of the Annual Cypress Festival

36TH ANNUAL CYPRESS FESTIVAL

Sponsored By The Pocomoke City Chamber of Commerce

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Saturday, June 18, 2011                    Admission $2.00

Rides and Midway by Sherwood Amusements

11:00 a.m.      Gates Open 12:00 noon Rides Start

Battle of the Bands Competition Starts

Sponsored by Delmarva Power

12:00 noon Band Entry:  Jeremy  Ray and the Bandits

1:00 p.m. Band Entry:  14-5

2:00 p.m. Band Entry: Life as a Martyr

4:00 p.m. Band Entry: Fast Nixon

5:00 p.m. Band Entry: As Alice Sleeps

Performances by Cascading Carlos

Shows at 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

1:00 p.m. Car Show by Crabtown Cruisers

**Free River Cruises on the Bay Queen

Leaving the dock at 3:00 pm and  6:00 p.m.**

Sponsored by the Pocomoke City Chamber of Commerce and Captain John Riggi

4 to 9 p.m. Sillie Willie The Clown will be on the grounds

        Sponsored by Hickman Heating & Plumbing

6:30 p.m. Ty Sherwood and the Tydewater Band

TBA Duck Derby
                Sponsored by Shore Bank

                And Mariner Oil/Dave Mears

10:00 p.m. Fireworks    Sponsored by Pocomoke City

10:00 p.m. Festival Closes

Ride Tickets—$1.00 for 1 or $20 for 25

Burn Ban Status

Worcester Co. Burn Ban Status

Presently at this time Worcester County does NOT have a burn ban in effect. The continued dry weather has certainly had an impact on the local environment. The Fire Marshal’s Office and the County’s Environmental Programs Division are presently reviewing the situation. At a minimum outside burning is discouraged. County Fire Marshal Jeff McMahon encourages County residents and visitors to reframe from outside burning.

~~~~
wwww.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'The Rest Is History'..........

From: Between The Lines
June 17, 2011
Written By: Publisher/ Editor, Steven Green

Although he would most likely never admit it publicly, Worcester County State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby must have been feeling tremendous vindication in the moments after the jury returned a first-degree murder conviction in the death of Christine Sheddy.


To understand why, we must look back at last election season when then-State’s Attorney Joel Todd illustrated in campaign materials how a number of crime victims were backing him for re-election. One of those crime victims quoted in the campaign ads was Sheddy’s mother, Lynn Dodenhoff. When Oglesby questioned crime victims being used as political leverage, the proverbial you know what hit the fan.


Oglesby’s pointed comments set off a firestorm among the local blogs and on a Facebook page slamming both Oglesby and this newspaper. Over the course of that October weekend, dozens of phone messages, nasty emails, ridiculous threats and Facebook posts addressed the matter. Hysteria was how I described it back then. Many comments criticized Oglesby and his so-called inexperience and how Todd was the better man to prosecute the case and bring justice to those who harmed Sheddy.


The rest is history, as Oglesby prevailed in another nail biter and is the current top prosecutor in Worcester. Although many were concerned how Oglesby would handle a major murder trial, he proved this week he can not only handle the pressure but also overcome it. The jury returned a first-degree murder conviction on Justin Hadel in Sheddy’s death. What else could anyone ask for?


Nonetheless, Oglesby was still being ripped in the bizarre local blog world. Oddly enough, Todd came to his successor’s defense with a statement.

“This week, the Worcester County State’s Attorney successfully prosecuted Justin Hadel for 1st Degree Murder. Despite that, negative remarks have been posted about him,” Todd said. “Let me be clear, this post is neither a condemnation nor an endorsement of the current state’s attorney. Nevertheless, to those who supported me who may be making attacks against the incumbent because they’re hoping to make him vulnerable for my return at the next election, let me be perfectly clear: I have no intention of running for state’s attorney again. … The personal attacks that have been made against him are ill-advised. Give him a chance to do his job. If you are not pleased with his job, then you may get actively involved in the next election and exercise your right to vote for the candidate of your choice.”

Source;  http://www.mdcoastdispatch.com/articles/2011/06/17/Between-The-Lines/Between-The-Lines-33

Auto Repair Specials

Give Dad a custom Dual Exhaust, Tune-up, or anything else he may have been putting off on his car, truck, race car, mud truck, tractor or whatever he has that has an engine.

Still Joe's Auto Truck repair is running all kinds of specials every day of every month. Still Joe's has absolutely the lowest prices on custom exhaust and repairs of any kind of any shop around.

Still Joe's has been doing mechanical repair, fabrication and custom exhaust for over 30 years. If you want it done right the first time at very, very reasonable prices visit Still Joe's for a free estimate.

Custom dual exhaust from $275.00 . Most standard single exhaust from $125.00 nobody can match that price. How about a tune-up? At Still Joe's tune-ups are priced from $65.00 and that's not a 4 spark-plug gimmick, that's spark-plugs, wires, cap, rotor, a complete tune-up including computer diagnoses. I know, hard to believe huh?

Still Joe's, A little out of the way but a whole lot less to pay, call for an appointment today (410) 677-1022

Visit Still Joe's website HERE and take a look around, also be sure to check out their PHOTO PAGE HERE and check out some of their show winning custom exhaust jobs.

A Little Something For The Dads

Don't forget Dad this Sunday, here's a little something to send ol'Pop to help brighten his day.

From The POCOMOKE CITY VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT

June 16, 2011 5:33 p.m. The Pocomoke City Vol. Fire Co. assisted Stockton Vol. Fire Co. with a large field fire on Jones Rd. Extremely dry conditions and high winds caused the fire to spread rapidly.



Smoke from the fire as seen on Stockton Road



 Additional Fire Companies / Departments that helped fight the fire included: Snow Hill, Girdletree, Greenbackville, New Church, and the Forestry Service.





Additionally, Maryland State Police, Trooper 4 (helicopter) was used to help locate the distance the fire was spreading into the woods.


The fire started from a combine that was harvesting the crop.

The burned area of cleared land was harvested wheat and barley. Very little of the unharvested crop was lost. However, all of the harvested crop in the combine, along with the combine,  was lost.

 Approximately 50 to 70 acres of harvested land was burned and less than 50 acres of forest area was involved. One firefighter received an ankle injury. Firefighters were on the scene for about 3 hours.

Stockton Chief Neal Payne was the Officer in charge.
Pocomoke Chief Dicky Gladding was the Operations Officer.

More photos on www.pocomokefire.com