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Friday, May 30, 2008

Ray Lewis & Wicomico County Make Today's USA Today!


GO HERE to see the USA Today page.

Friday, May 30
Salisbury - Five people were indicted by a Wicomico County grand jury in the alleged theft of about $450,000 worth of diesel fuel, tires and other supplies from the county landfill. Those charged include former landfill superintendent Kenneth Townsend and former landfill official Paul Tomaszewski. Others include area contractor Ray Lewis, Benjamin Merritt and suspended landfill worker George Ennis.

John Wade Part II


If you're running for Office, don't you have to be in good standings with the State? Between this information and the Tax Lean Sale on his property, how can this guy be running for Office? GO HERE and type in John Wade! You can make it easier if you click on Somerset County too. This guy is just loaded with foreclosure information and the whole nine yards. Princess Anne Residents better realize what they're getting into when they vote on Tuesday.

Case Information
Court System: DISTRICT COURT FOR SOMERSET COUNTY - CIVIL SYSTEM
Case Number: 020200000152007Claim Type:CONTRACT
District/Location Codes: 02 / 02Filing Date:07/31/2006Case Status:BANKRUPTCY
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Complaint, Judgment, and Related Persons Information

(Each Complaint, Hearing, Judgment is listed separately, along with each Related Person)

Complaint Information
Complaint No: 001(TIDEWATER LAND SURVEYORS) Vs:(WADE, JOHN )
Type: REGULAR CLAIM
Complaint Status: BANKRUPTCY
Status Date: 11/26/2007Filing Date:07/31/2006Amount$785Last Activity Date:11/26/2007
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Related Person Information
Name: WADE, JOHN
Connection to Complaint: DEFENDANT
Address: 12034 SOMERSET AVENUE
City: PRINCESS ANNEState:MDZip Code:21853
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Name: TIDEWATER LAND SURVEYORS
Connection to Complaint: PLAINTIFF
Address: 507 COURT LANE
City: CAMBRIDGEState:MDZip Code:21613
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Click on the GO HERE link to see more.

A Man That Wants To Make Laws Is Breaking The Law?


John Wade





Just when you though things in Salisbury were all screwed up, along comes the Wade Family from Princess Anne!

Election Day is this coming Tuesday in Princess Anne and I have to tell you Folks, this is getting damn confusing. Today I had an interview with Mr. John Wade who is the husband of Mrs. Wade who was recently rejected from the Election Board as she was not considered a resident of Princess Anne for one calendar year.

So here comes the husband, John Wade who jumps in as a Write In Candidate. However, just who is this John Wade anyway? Well, he allegedly has a residence on Sommerset Ave in Princess Anne but I also hear they have a residence on Executive Drive in Delmar, MD. Then I have also been told he may have a residence in the state of New Jersey, hence the tags on this vehicle above?

So I started digging even deeper and I learned that John Wade is not only on the Planning & Zoning Board in Princess Anne, he's also been appointed to the Maryland State Liquor Board for Sommerset County by your beloved Governor O'Malley!

So I picked up the phone and called John and I asked him directly, do you have a Maryland Drivers License? "I have a Maryland ID." OK John, I understand that but do you have a Maryland Driver's License? "No, I have a Maryland ID." So I then asked, well you're driving a car with New Jersey Tags, is your Driver's License from New Jersey? "NO." So I said, then what State is your Driver's License in? He replied, "Joe, I'm NOT going to get into that."

I checked in the state of MD, DE, VA, NJ, NC, SC & FL and he is not registered with a License from any one of those states. So, then I checked into the tags on this vehicle he's been allegedly known to be driving for years now and the vehicle is registered to a Pearlie Kilgore, yet the Inspection Sticker is registered to someone else, (illegal?) Alton Thomas. When I checked with the State of NJ on the inspection sticker they told me that the date, "3-08" on the sticket was the expiration date. (illegal?)

I just don't get it. During our interview he said the main reason he was running for Office was because he wants to see "open government." So when I asked the man just what state his drivers license was in, "I'm not going to get into that." Seems to me, (I'm sorry to say) this is the LAST guy I'd be voting for and if "I" were on the Election Board, I'd be backstepping REALLY FAST to find out just who this man is?

If I was the Governor of Maryland I'd also be moving as fast as humanly possible before the MSM gets their hands on this story and find out just who this man really is and where his true residence is located. He may live on Sommerset Ave but the final blow is, his home is getting ready to go up for auction for a Tax Lean Sale because the Town he's running for Office in, he's chosen not to pay his own taxes there either!

If Princess Anne votes for this guy, well, they're dumber than the Citizens of Salisbury for voting for Barrie Tilghman and or Bubba!

WCBI UPDATE REPORT ON BEATING DEATH OF MICHAEL HARRY MITCHELL AGE 19

WCBI LogoDuring the early morning hours of May 29th 2008, several individuals were in the Decatur Farms subdivision area of
Berlin when they were approached by another group of individuals in a vehicle. An altercation broke out between the two groups of people. During the assault, Michael Harry Mitchell (w/m, 19 years old, of
Henry Road Berlin, MD) was struck by a blunt object and died as a result of the injuries he sustained. The suspects fled the scene in their vehicle.

The following suspects have been arrested with the above incident:


· Eric Ronald Hewitt W/M Age 19 Ocean City, MD


o Charged with 2nd Degree Assault


o Held on $75,000 BondEric Hewitt



· Fernando Angelo Musiani W/M Age 19
Berlin, MD Fernando Musani


o Charged with 1st Degree Murder, 1st Degree Assault and 2nd Degree Assault


o Held without Bond


· Dominic Richard Canale W/M Age 21 Ocean City, MD


Dominic Canale



o Charged with 1st Degree Murder, 1st Degree Assault and 2nd Degree Assault


o Bond is pending Hearing at District Court Commissioner Office

OC Offshore Powerboats










Yesterday, Miss Geico ran from Annapolis to Baltimore, Maryland in 10 Minutes and 13 Seconds. It was a great day for the run with calm water and very little wind. The boat ran great and was smooth and calm on the water.

The Mayor Presents The Larson's Once Again! I Present The Bogarts

The Larsons Family, A Continuing Drama

Pat and Mary Larsons, still enjoying their early retirement in the city they chose to call home, continued their volunteer work through the winter months. Improvements to their historic home, school events, and family obligations occupied the family during the cold days of winter. Their son, Drew, while involved in the Skate Park fundraising efforts, became acquainted with a rockclimbing enthusiast. After much encouragement, Drew convinced his parents, along with his sister, Kate, to take a
rock-climbing course from local instructors in an indoor training area. The Larsons were hooked. Their newfound hobby led them on several weekend trips to the mountains of Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. Finding new climbing areas within reasonable driving distance became increasingly difficult, and the Larsons began to ponder the possibility of an indoor climbing business in Salisbury. While researching their options, the Larsons discovered that many grain silos in the Midwest had been converted into rock-climbing arenas. Not aware of any available grain silos in the area, Mary’s eyes looked up and realized the opportunity presenting itself, towering over the Downtown landscape. “The old water standpipe is tall enough and is certainly
visible enough to draw climbers’ interest,” Mary suggests. “It could be a win-win for
Downtown Salisbury…a climbing arena to draw out-of-town enthusiasts to the area, an adaptive re-use of a maintenance liability with little or no cost to the City, and a
really great entertainment opportunity for the local residents. And what a view from
the top, I’ll bet!”

Meanwhile, the Bogart Family have been experiencing hardship in their Salisbury household. Mr. Bogart just lost his job after working for the City for 20 years as an IT person for the Fire Department. Even though Mr. Bogart could sit at the computer daily and serve in a position he loves, the City chose to force Mr. Bogart into retirement because he injured himself on a failed piece of equipment.

Mrs. Bogart is now working as much overtime as she can because retirement certainly isn't enough for the Bogart Family to survive on, especially after their recent 14% tax increase and water and sewer rates unexpectedly going through the roof. The Bogart's also LOST their Families health insurance plan because it cost too much to take on the plan provided by the City.

Today, the Bogart's received a letter in the mail that their homeowners insurance and auto insurance rates were going to increase due to the high rate of crime in Salisbury. It seems the Bogart's are in a lose/lose situation in a City they devoted their lives to.

As for the Silo, kiss my a$$! Trying to do something for the community at this point and time is simply too late Mayor Tilghman. You will leave Office with a legacy of Developer Reimbursements and taxing the Citizens until they could no longer afford to live here. You will leave this Office knowing you have absolutely screwed ANY and ALL employees who dedicated their lives to serving the City of Salisbury and were injured on the job, mainly the departments they worked in!

Salisbury's Cavalier Attitude to Taxpayers' Money

Looking at the front page of this morning's Daily Times the average Salisbury taxpayer might believe that the Salisbury City Council, even Mayor Barrie Tilghman's RUBBER STAMP majority of Louise Smith, Gary Comegys and Shanie Shields, is looking out for the average citizen. This would be a mistake.

Spooning out a few cups from Tilghman's bureaucratic swamp while the voters are drowning amounts to little more than political posturing for the RUBBER STAMP. In any case, their specific cuts are meaningless.

Thanks to the determination of Smith, Comegys and Shields to make the city council as irrelevant as possible, cutting funds for a specific item have no force in law. Their "Program budget" allows Tilghman to spend appropriated funds however she wishes, as long as she stays within the very broad guidelines of the RUBBER STAMP's parody of a budget ordinance.

Possibly the most distressing point to come from these budget discussions is the cavalier attitude taken by the Tilghman administration and her RUBBER STAMP when dealing with taxpayers' money. When the suggestion was made to put the city's liability and P&C insurance out to competitive bid the response was positively Swiftian. Despite the possibility of saving $100,000+ of the taxpayers' money, the RUBBER STAMP and city Finance Director Pam Oland decided that there was no point to research a savings since the price had only risen by $5,000!

I have a question for Pam and Barrie's RUBBER STAMP. How much does the increase have to be before you decide to save the taxpayers some money?

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

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Cohen & Campbell Hold Budget Meeting


Council women Terry Cohen and Debbie Campbell held their own Budget Meeting Wednesday evening with concerned citizens at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Salisbury.

While the meeting was well attended, the topics were absolutely mind boggling. Are YOU aware that YOU the taxpayer are fronting $40.00 incorporated into your taxes for each and every City Employee to hold a summer picnic? NO, I'm NOT talking about a Christmas Party, that's a whole other issue. I need to expand on this. $40.00 per person! FOR A FREAKIN PICNIC? You could go to Crisfield and eat all you can eat crabs and whatever for $40.00 a person!

Were you aware that Travelers Insurance came to the City and told them that they could easily save the City 20% on their Insurance Bill and Pick and the Mayor refused to hear them out? Oh, wait till you hear why! Before I give you that, the City's liability insurance just went up 77%!!!!!! That's right. The Insurance for the City recently was $51,000.00. It just went up to $254,856.00 OK, who's the President of LGIT? Do you even know what LGIT is? That's the Insurance Company the City buys their Insurance through. Your MAYOR is the President of LGIT!!!!!!!

You know those 5 Fire Trucks that are being purchased? Remember how the Fire Department claimed they were replacing the American LaFrance units because they filed Chapter 11? Well, they're back in business and reorganized. No problem with parts or service, none whatsoever. Nevertheless, the two LaFrance vehicles See & Gordy want to replace, GUESS HOW NEW THEY ARE?????? They're so new that they still OWE money on the financing and they're already replacing them!

OK, here's something no one thought about. Now you're at the new Fire Station 16, an alarm goes off for a fire out by Sam's Club. What route do you take? Everyone spent all that time worrying about how to get Downtown but have YOU traveled Isabella Street lately? Now think about traveling that street with all the new concrete barriers everywhere and a Fire Truck up your a$$! How do you get out of the way? How does several cars heading towards Rt. 13 get out of the way? They Cant!

Did you know the Mayor dropped ALL funding for Creek Watchers?

Want to know more??? Get Involved!

I did get an opportunity to express my thoughts and I stated that I felt the Council should push for a Line Item Budget once every 4 years. We ALL know they're not going to go for this every year. So compromise and make it once every 4 years. What do you think?

UPDATE:

"Mr. Albero -

I wanted to correct my error in citing a 77% increase. The calculation was
a function of the way that the figures were presented in the budget. At
yesterday's meeting, Ms. Oland explained that the increase is 1%. However,
the total amount for non-health insurance lines is in excess of $503,000
rather than $254,856. A 10% savings would be $50,000, and a 20% savings
$100,000. If savings are possible why wouldn't we shop for the best rate
for the services that we need? The same applies to other services like
banking. Yesterday, the council agreed to put some of the services out for
bid during the first and second quarters of FY09.

Thank you for allowing me to correct my error. I apologize for any
confusion that was created by the calculation.

Debbie Campbell"

A Letter To The Editor

Joe,

Just wanted to introduce myself.

I'm originally from Salisbury, and my family still lives there. My brother works for the city and was sometimes amazed at what I would tell him about your blog, and the information on it. He's an avid reader now also.

I appreciate that I can find out whats going on there, being so far away. Thank you for your honesty and integrity, thank you for keeping the citizens informed of the mare's, and her cronies, dishonesty, and thank you for keeping your finger on the pulse of Salisbury.

We all appreciate it.

Have a great weekend!

Question of the Day, Fri 5/30

Laws are just horrendous sometimes.

How may people will be breaking the law this weekend?
What laws do you think should be written?

Here's a few that I had to laugh at:
Maryland:
Ocean City, MD - illegal to eat while swimming.
Ocean City, MD - illegal for men to go topless on the boardwalk.
Maryland law - illegal for oral sex to be given or received anywhere.
Halethrope, MD - illegal to kiss for more than 1 second.
Baltimore, MD - illegal to mistreat oysters.
Delaware:
Lewes, DE - illegal to wear pants that are firm-fitting around the waist.
Rehobeth Beach, DE - illegal to change clothes inside a vehicle.
Rehobeth Beach, DE - illegal to pretend to sleep on a bench on the boardwalk.
Rehobeth Beach, DE - illegal to change into or out of a bathing suit in a public restroom.
Rehobeth Beach, DE - illegal to serve alcohol in night clubs if dancing is occurring.

Berlin Murder -- Arrests Made

Worcester County Bureau of Investigation has arrested the following people in connection with the death of Michael Mitchell:

Eric Ronald Hewitt, 19 of Ocean City (2nd degree assault, held on 75K bond)
Angelo Fernando Musiani, 19 of Berlin (1st degree murder, 1st degree assault, 2nd degree assault, held without bond)
Domonic Richard Canale, 21 of Ocean City(1st degree murder, 1st degree assault, 2nd degree assault, bond pending)

According to MD Case search, a couple of these guys have been in trouble before, maybe still be on probation.

My 9 year old daughter heard me talking to my husband about it. "The cops should take them and beat them with a baseball bat." I couldn't agree with her more.

Another One Bites The Dust


Weijia Jiang is leaving WBOC today. Weijia has taken a position with WJZ TV in Baltimore. It's always nice to hear good reporters are going off to bigger and better places. Best of luck to you Weijia and thanks for being a part of our lives every day.

The Hidden Bonus in Wicomico's Budget

On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Council will vote whether to approve County Executive Rick Pollitt's supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2009. This budget will be slightly different from Pollitt's proposed budget. The Council decided to cut $646,000 from education and suggested that the cut be applied to roads ($300,000), contingency ($206,000) and fire companies ($140,000). Pollitt has agreed to apply the cuts per council's recommendation.

Also in budget is the establishment of a county legal department. Ed Baker will continue as County Attorney, but will now be a full time employee of Wicomico County.

In principle, this is a good move on the part of Pollitt and the County Council. While Baker has provided excellent service, we all know that there can be serious problems with contracting out the job of a county or city attorney. Just look at Salisbury.

There is, however, one little surprise in the creation of the legal department. Mr. Baker, while not becoming a full time county employee until FY 2009, will have his pension benefits be based on a RETROACTIVE date of service of 1989!

Pollitt's office explains:

According to IRS rules, Mr. Baker should have been in the plan all along sine he is regarded(by the IRS) as an employee not as a contractor.
As far as I know, Baker is a member of the law firm of Seidel, Baker & Tilghman. Was the county taking out federal and state income tax withholding from checks sent to Baker's firm? Was the county deducting half of the FICA and Medicare taxes (and paying the other half)? Was her receiving other benefits from the county?

Now I don't begrudge Mr. Baker anything. I have nothing but the greatest respect for him. I also don't know what the estimated cost of this retroactively enhanced pension is. That is not the point! We need a little truth in advertising here.

If this was a deal negotiated between Baker and Pollitt, and Pollitt feels that keeping Baker as the County Attorney is in the best interest of taxpayers, fine. But that is not the reasoning given for this decision.

We are not talking about some exotic compensation package for a Fortune 500 CEO. We're discussing the pay and benefits of a COUNTY EMPLOYEE. The taxpayer needs to come first!

While I feel that keeping Baker IS a good thing, I hope that a majority of the Wicomico County Council votes down the budget because of this. If my good friend Rick Pollitt thinks that he caught a bunch of flak over handing out bonuses to key employees last year, wait until the public gets a load of this.

cross posted at Delmarva Dealings

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SPD Press Releases

On May 25, 2008 at approximately 12:35 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department were in the area of S. Salisbury Boulevard and South Boulevard when the officer was alerted to a subject that had broken into a vehicle. The officer checked the vehicle and found that a suspect had entered the vehicle and left property in the vehicle. The witness gave the officer a description of the suspect and the officer located the suspect behind the Super Giant Food Store. The suspect admitted to making entry into the vehicle and was arrested. A search of the suspect’s person, incident to arrest, revealed property that the suspect had just stolen from the Super Giant Store and a pipe containing suspected crack/cocaine.

ARRESTED: Julius Zorro Parson, 50 years of age Salisbury, Maryland

CHARGES:
Rogue and vagabond
Tampering with a motor vehicle
Theft (under $ 100)
Possession of cocaine
Possession of cds/paraphernalia

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 200800018415

On May 28, 2008 at approximately 8:45 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department were contacted by a witness in reference to a possible burglary in progress. Officers were advised by the witness that a suspect was seen breaking into a vehicle on E. Vine Street and then attempting to break into the adjacent residence. Officers responded to the area and apprehended the below listed suspect on the victim’s property.

ARRESTED: Craig Raymond Holloway, 53 years of age No fixed address

CHARGES:
Attempted burglary
Rogue and vagabond

DISPOSITION: Released to Central Booking CC # 200800018792

On May 28, 2008 at approximately 3:10 pm, Officers of the Salisbury Police Department received a call to respond to the Sam’s Club Store in reference to two (2) shoplifters. Upon arrival, the officers were advised that employees of the store had observed the below listed suspects take property from the store without making payment. Additionally, in a search incident to arrest, below listed suspect # 1 was found to be in possession of a quantity of suspected heroin.

ARRESTED #1: Destiny Dawn Lenz, 21 years of age Pittsville, Maryland

CHARGES:
Possession of heroin
Possession of cds/paraphernalia
Theft (Under $ 100)

ARRESTED #2: Donald Wayne Haddock, 29 years of age Willards, Maryland

CHARGES: Theft (Under $100)

DISPOSITION: Both suspects released to Central Booking CC # 200800018759

WWE Raw Presents Summerslam Tour

Live Wrestling Returns to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

(Salisbury, MD) WWE Raw is bringing its Summerslam Tour to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Sunday, August 10 at 5:00pm. WWE Raw’s Summerslam Tour features Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy and many more.

Tickets for this event go on sale this Saturday, May 31 at 10:00am and range from $20-$60 plus applicable taxes and fees. Tickets can be purchased online at www.WicomicoCivicCenter.org, by phone at 410-548-4911 or in person at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office. The Box Office will open for the

on-sale this Saturday from 10:00am to 2:00pm. Normal Box Office hours will resume after Saturday and are Monday-Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

Be the first to know about other events coming to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center by signing up for the Press Pass at www.wicomicociviccenter.org.

*WWE reserves the right to change the wrestling card with no notice to the venue.