Delmar Lock Your Things Up.

Delmar- Seems their has been a crime spree in Delmar in the last week, A Delaware Council Persons car was broken into while her car was parked in her driveway and a car was stolen on the Maryland side of town and suspect was later caught and the car returned. In this tough economy the easy way out seems to come to mind for some, so keep everything locked up and put in a safe place the police  department cant be everywhere.

Downtown Parking

SALISBURY, Md. - Mayor Jim Ireton is pushing for people to park in the downtown parking garage as new developments arise.

The maximum number of spaces in the garage is 718. 250  of those spaces are not being used. The Mayor says it's time to take advantage of the unused capacity to replace some of the parking that will be lost in the downtown area due to future developments.

The city has also completed upgrades to the security and alarm systems in the garage to increase the level of personal security.

NJ mother, child, both born on leap day

SADDLE RIVER, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey mother born on February 29 beat 2 million-to-1 odds when she had her daughter - who was also born on leap day.

Michelle Birnbaum of Saddle River tells The New York Post (http://nyp.st/wBdgZf ) that she'll use the occasion to teach her 4-year-old daughter Rose about science and the earth's cycles around the sun.

Birnbaum turns 32 Wednesday, but will celebrate for only the eighth time on the actual date. It comes once every four years as the result of a system intended to keep the seasons, years, months and days in working order.

Birnbaum went into labor on Feb. 28, 2008, but Rose was born the following day

Teen Arrested for Bringing Knife to School

MILTON, Del.– Milton police have arrested a 13-year-old Mariner Middle School student for carrying a concealed knife into school.

Police said that at around 2:20 p.m. Monday, the female student was taken to the office when school officials found a camouflaged knife on her. She was taken into custody and transported to the Milton Police Department.

The student was charged as a juvenile with one count of carrying a concealed dangerous weapon. She was released to the custody of a parent pending a Family Court appearance at a future date

Sussex County Council Considers Electronic Billboards

GEORGETOWN, Del. - Electronic billboards could soon light up across Sussex County.
 
The county council is considering a proposal to allow the digital devices on commercial land with a special use permit.
 
"It's a plus for technology and it's just going to open many doors to advertise for people who just couldn't do so in the past," said Lynn Rogers, a former county councilman who owns a sign company in Milton.
 
Rogers said electronic billboards are different than smaller electronic signs many drivers see next to businesses; the boards would be restricted to showing a frozen image.
 
"There's no animation at all and when the sign changes, there's no flipping, running off the side," said Rogers. "It just changes in one second with a blip."
 
The high tech signs would be cheap and easy for advertisers to change, Rogers said. That could allow customers to advertise a weekend event.
 
There is one electronic billboard in Delaware along Interstate 95 in New Castle County.
 
Sandy Spence of Lewes is concerned about the digital devices.
 
"They offer huge distractions," said Spence. "Especially as our population is aging, it's going to make things even worse."
 
While applicants would be required to take part in a public hearing and seek approval from the board of adjustment, Spence said individual property owners would have a tough battle convincing the board to deny an application under the current law.
 
"People criticize them for approving everything but the reason is they don't have a basis for turning things down," Spence said.
 
During Tuesday's meeting, Councilman George Cole, R-Ocean View, questioned whether additional restrictions were needed to limit electronic billboards to major highways.
 
With a starting price of roughly $225,000, Rogers said most owners and advertisers would not bother placing the boards on smaller, low-traveled roads.

Renovation Plans for Wicomico Youth & Civic Center

SALISBURY, Md.- Major renovations could be on the way for the Wicomico County Youth & Civic Center. A study was conducted by Crossroad Consulting Services in order to find ways to help improve the arena.

Wicomico County Parks and Recreation Director Gary Mackes said a new arena would cost millions of dollars and may not be cost effective. Mackes believes the arena is a prime location but needs to be updated.

"People need change. Their expectations change about what they want to be in. You can't stay old and stagnant and have old technology and old things. There will be other choices. You've got to do those things if you want to retain and grow your business," Mackes said.

Crossroads Consulting Services made some observations it believes can help the civic center become more profitable.

Currently, the center brings in around $14.5 million a year for the county and state. The group believes that modernizing the civic center would help bring in $19 million a year for the county and state. If, along with the renovations, the civic center would offer alcoholic beverages for sale, the county and state could bring in more than $20 million in annual revenue.

Counties Warn of Cuts if They Pay Md. Pensions

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP)- Montgomery County school officials say they would have to cut 600 teachers and increase class sizes if lawmakers in Annapolis approve Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposal to shift teacher pension costs to the counties.

Board of Education President Shirley Brandman told the County Council on Tuesday that class sizes could increase by an average of 2.4 students per class. She says that would be the result if the school system has to pay $38 million in pension costs in the 2013 fiscal year.

Prince George's County officials say they're also worried the shift would lead to cuts in the workforce and services.

Other counties have rallied against the proposal, too. Harford County officials said Monday that cuts would be inevitable.

O'Malley is trying to close a $1.1 billion budget gap.

Delmar Couple Stacks Up Moore Charges

Delmar- Thomas and Nicole Mcguire of Delmar was charged on Febuary 27, 2012 with thirteen moore counts of child sexual acts including, 2 counts of sex abuse of a minor, sex abuse third degree, two counts of unatural or perverted practices, two counts indecent exposure, sexual abuse of a minor, sexual solicitation of a minor, sex offense third degree and false imprisonment. These charges are in addition to the child sexual charges the couple recieved earlier this month, the couple has a total of 24 child sexual charges each.

Matt Kenseth wins Daytona 500 after fire and rain

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Well, NASCAR certainly knows how to make a prime-time impression.

Rain, fire and Tide laundry detergent all factored into a Daytona 500 that will go down as the most bizarre in NASCAR history.

And Brad Keselowski tweeted most of it live. From his race car. Then he provided another update minutes after crashing at 190 mph.

And oh, yeah, Matt Kenseth picked up his second Daytona 500 title.

"You would think after 65 years and running all the races that NASCAR has run ... that you've seen about everything," NASCAR President Mike Helton said. "You do think about, `Oh, my gosh, if that can happen, what else can happen?'"

The first Daytona 500 to be postponed took more than 36 hours to complete after rain pushed it from its scheduled Sunday afternoon start to Monday at lunch, and ultimately turned it into the first ever NASCAR race run in prime-time television.

Then Juan Pablo Montoya crashed under caution into a safety truck filled with about 200 gallons of jet fuel, and the collision caused a massive fireball that scorched the track and will be the most indelible image of the 54th running of the "Great American Race."

What did they use to clean it up? Tide laundry detergent, of course.

Seriously.

The two-plus hour stoppage turned into a tweet-up of sorts, as the drivers climbed from their cars and crowded around Keselowski, who had pulled out his phone to provide real-time updates to his fans by posting photos and answering questions. His number of followers ballooned from about 65,000 at the start of the race to almost 200,000 by the time the fire was extinguished and racing could resume.

"I thought it was pretty funny," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., who had his losing streak hit 130 races when he came up short in his bid to chase down Kenseth in a two-lap overtime sprint.

"That was kind of fun actually, standing around on the back straightaway. We did take the phone and put it to some use and looked up the weather."

When the 500 finally ended in the early morning hours Tuesday, the two-week SpeedWeeks odyssey wasn't over: Fog closed the North Carolina airports, stranding drivers and teams at Daytona for yet another night.

"Now believe it or not I can't go home," fourth-place finisher Denny Hamlin posted on Twitter. "Fogged in. Yet another night in Daytona."

The endurance race will be long over by the time the television ratings come in later Tuesday. No one was sure what to expect as Fox made the unprecedented decision to show the race in prime time - the best case scenario once rain washed it out on Sunday. NASCAR originally rescheduled for Monday afternoon but scrapped those plans in the morning based on more rain.

With a 4.5 overnight rating on Fox's coverage of Sunday's rain delay, vice chairman of Fox Sports Media Group Ed Goren wasn't sure what to expect Monday night.

"We are in the middle of February ratings sweeps, and there are significant successful shows on other networks," Goren said. "The question becomes, `Will the loyal NASCAR audience find us?' The casual fan seems to have caught on Sunday for the storylines and the season, but the casual fan who was with us yesterday, now in prime time, has other options.

"So, let them race, and let's find out what happens."

What happened was a show like no other, beginning from the second lap of the race, when five-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson was caught in an accident that also collected Danica Patrick, ruining her Daytona 500 debut.

From there it was 25 lead changes among 13 drivers, 10 cautions, and that really big fire.

"The thing that comes into my mind is NASCAR just can't catch a break," Earnhardt said. "We're trying to deliver, and we just have some unfortunate things happen such as the rain delay, potholes in the track a couple of years ago. We're a good sport, and we're trying to give a good product."

Kenseth and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle took over the lead following the fire stoppage with 40 laps to go.

Montoya was driving alone under caution when something broke on his car. He spun hard into a safety truck, and the collision caused an instant explosion.

Montoya, who said his helmet was singed in the fire and his foot ached, said he felt a vibration in his car before the accident.

"I've hit a lot of things - but a jet dryer?" he said. "It just felt really strange, and as I was talking on the radio, the car just turned right."

Jet fuel - the safety truck held 200 gallons of kerosene - poured down the surface of Turn 3 at Daytona International Speedway after the accident, creating a fiery lasting image of NASCAR's biggest race of the year.

Journeyman driver Dave Blaney was leading at that time because he had not pitted, and all the drivers surrounded him and Keselowski as they lingered outside their parked cars during the cleanup.

Blaney's lead was short-lived, however, as he pitted for gas as soon as racing resumed. Kenseth took over the lead, with Biffle behind him, and the race went green with 34 laps remaining.

It became clear immediately that nobody could catch the Fords. Earnhardt tried several different strategies, same for Hamlin, but neither could get between Kenseth and Biffle.

Until the final lap, Biffle dutifully stayed in line behind his teammate, and when Earnhardt finally tried to make his move around him, neither driver could catch Kenseth.

Earnhardt held off Biffle at the line, while Kenseth grabbed his second Daytona 500 win in four years. He won the 2009 race by passing Elliott Sadler on the backstretch moments before the caution came out for rain, and he was declared the winner while waiting on pit road.

"We had a really fast car and have fast cars in the past, and I figured out a way to mess it up," Kenseth said. "I am glad it all worked out."

Long Beach school shaken over girl's death

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Ten-year-old Joanna Ramos died from blunt force trauma after emergency surgery for a blood clot on her brain, investigators and family members said.
As far as police can tell, the blow did not come from a weapon, or a wall, or a windshield, but only the fists of another young girl whom she fought hours earlier.
While the specific circumstances of Joanna's death are especially tragic and extremely unusual, medical experts said a blow in just the right spot can often prove fatal.
"This is rare, in that I've never seen it in a female, certainly not in a female adolescent," said Dr. Keith Black, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Black, who was not involved in Joanna's medical care, sees such injuries all the time among older patients and said a blow to the head from one young girl to another could "absolutely" be sufficient to cause enough trauma to lead to death.
Punches to the head can often lead to delayed bleeding if a vein is torn, and that can lead to a clot when blood collects on the surface of the brain.
Coroner's Lt. Fred Corral said Ramos died of blunt force trauma to the head and said her death has been ruled a homicide, but he didn't immediately have further details about her injuries.
The finding rattled the already shaken school community at Willard Elementary, where Joanna attended the fifth grade. She died Friday, about six hours after a brief fight with another girl in an alley near the school in a working-class neighborhood in the port city of Long Beach.
Joanna, who would have turned 11 on March 12, was unconscious by the time she arrived at the emergency room and underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot on her brain late Friday after she began vomiting and complained of a headache, her older sister, 17-year-old Vanessa Urbina, told The Associated Press.
"After surgery the doctor said she was still alive, and then a few minutes later he comes back and tells us that her heart stopped and they couldn't bring her back," Urbina said, crying as she sat on the steps of the school near a memorial of flowers and balloons.
Police said they have made no arrests and were conducting an investigation that will be presented to prosecutors when it's completed.
Worried parents lingered as they dropped off their children Monday in a light rain and wondered aloud how the school, tucked a few blocks off a major city street, could have become the scene of such unexpected violence.
"I'm just so confused at this moment, thinking should I take my daughter out of this school," said Victoria Pyles, whose daughter started classes at the school last week. "If this is what is going on, I don't like it. It's very scary."
School officials believe the fight occurred near the school in a 15-minute window between the time school let out and the start of Joanna's after-school program at 2:30 p.m., said Chris Eftychiou, a spokesman for the Long Beach Unified School District.
Joanna didn't have any visible injuries or show any signs of distress for about an hour, but she eventually told staff she felt unwell and was picked up by a relative, he said.
Urbina, the older sister, said Joanna's cousin picked her up. After her mother retrieved her, Joanna vomited in the car all the way home and told her mother she felt sleepy and wanted to go to bed.
Symptoms — such as headache, nausea, lethargy — may not set in for hours and people can mistakenly think that they're fine, Black said.
Typically, he said, the hit to the head would have to be fairly significant to cause a blood clot and often involves the head hitting walls or the ground, but a punch is enough.
"You can certainly get enough of an impact to get enough movement in the brain by a fist to tear a vein, if it's in the right location," Black said.
Police have said the fight lasted less than a minute, did not involve weapons, and no one was knocked to the ground.
A friend of Joanna's saw her as she reported to the after-school program after the fight and said she had blood on her knuckles from wiping at a bloody nose, said Cristina Perez, the friend's mother.
Perez said her daughter, who is 10, heard about plans for the fight, apparently over a boy, during recess earlier in the day and knew to stay away from the alley after school.
Fights involving young children, including girls, are increasing nationally, in part because of the wired world children now live in, said Travis Brown, a national expert on bullying and school violence.
Children used to have a disagreement at school and would have a night or a weekend to cool down, but social media and text messaging mean students can continue their dispute 24 hours a day, he said.
"There was a time when a kid had a way to escape the things at school, but now there's no escape," Brown said. "That stuff just escalates to a point where it gets out of hand. This is an everyday occurrence."

Crawford, Bishop start Congressional Chicken Caucus

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Children of the Great Depression will remember the old CCC, the Civilian Conservation Corps.
As part of the New Deal under President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it was a publicworks relief program that operated from 1933-42 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men.
It was a brilliant idea. Over its nine years, 2.5 million young men were employed in conservation and natural resources development projects on rural lands owned by federal, state and local governments.
It was credited as one of the key factors in the nation’s ultimate recovery from the Depression.
Now, there’s a new CCC.
It’s the bipartisan Congressional Chicken Caucus, co-founded by congressmen Rick Crawford, R-Ariz., and Sanford Bishop, D-Ga.
The mission of the Chicken Caucus, they said, is to educate members of Congress and their staffs on the concerns and benefits of the U.S. chicken industry.
“The chicken industry employs over 300,000 workers in the United States,” said Crawford.
“My Arkansas district is home to chicken production and I look forward to working with caucus members to advocate for the industry.”
The lawmakers said the new CCC will “educate other members of Congress about the history, contributions and concerns of the U.S. chicken industry, as they pertain to food safety, trade, labor, immigration and the environment.”
U.S. chicken companies directly employ over 300,000 workers, producing products worth a wholesale value of over $45 billion annually with major operations in more than 30 states.
Further, the founding congressmen noted, there are more than 40 vertically integrated companies that contract with about 25,000 family farmers to produce market-ready broilers, hatching eggs and pullets.
Founding members of the Congressional Chicken Caucus include two lawmakers from the Mid-Atlantic — John Carney, D-Del., and Robert Hurt, R-Va.
Right off the bat, the caucus is expected to address legislation that would put into law an agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the U.S.
“The whole regulatory regime will have to be one of our areas of interest (to make sure) that any regulation is based on sound science and that it makes sense to do it,” Bishop said.
Taxes and potential EPA air and water regulations will also be issues the caucus takes on, according to Bishop.
The bill relating to caged hens, which is opposed by the Farm Bureau, specifies a phased-in move to mandatory “enriched cage” housing for all commercial egg-laying hens in the U.S.
Enriched cage housing has nearly double the space of conventional cages and includes perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas.

Hudson benefit nudges $100,000 for family’s cause

CENTREVILLE, Md. — The message was clear, though it wasn’t printed on any banners or repeated over the loud speaker.
Those who attended understood what was at stake.
The message? It could have been you and the next time it might be you.
That message brought nearly 750 people to the Queen Anne’s 4-H Park on Feb. 18, for the latest in a series of fundraisers for the the legal bills of a Berlin, Md., farm family fighting a lawsuit against environmental groups. This one was sponsored by the respective Farm Bureaus of Cecil, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Caroline and Talbot counties.
Speaking to part of the crowd during the benefit, Jenny Rhodes, a member of the fundraiser’s planning committee, said the lawsuit’s implications go beyond the Hudson family.
“It’s about each and everyone of us,” she said. “If we don’t win this battle, they’re going to pick everyone of us off at a time.”
With their turn at the microphone, though brief, Alan and Kristin Hudson thanked all who came out and said they continue to be awe of the kindness of so many people they had never met.
“Look around,” Alan — seen in the above photo at far right with Jim Perdue, chairman and chief executive of Perdue Farms Inc. — told supporters. “This is amazing what you all have done. It really shows the strength of agriculture.”
Last week after the benefit, organizers estimated the total amount raised could get close to $100,000, nearly doubling the planning committee’s initial goal of $50,000.
A more exact figure should come this week as the organizers regroup and account for any donations that came in after the event.
“I never thought it would be that successful,” Rhodes said last week reflecting on the event. “People were coming in the door and just giving donations on top of their ticket cost.”
All the proceeds from the event which included ticket sales, live auction, silent auction, Chinese auction, sponsorship levels and raffle drawings, are bound for the savefarmfamilies.org Maryland Family Farmers Legal Defense Fund.
In 2010, a federal lawsuit was filed by the Waterkeeper Alliance against Kristin and Alan Hudson and Perdue Farms for violations of the Clean Water Act.
The lawsuit maintains the Hudsons allowed runoff from a pile of poultry litter to enter a branch of the Pocomoke River which leads to the Chesapeake Bay.
The pile was later identified and sewage sludge from nearby Ocean City, Md., and after investigating the situation, the Maryland Department of Environment asked the pile be moved to another part of the farm and determined no other action was needed besides spreading the sludge in the spring.
The lawsuit persists, however and a trial is expected to begin in April.
As the afternoon turned to evening on Feb. 18, organizers said the amount of support from so many people in and out out of the farm community was astonishing.
“You could just see that people were pretty happy, pretty exited, not about the situation but about being able to do something about it,” Bob Arnold, Queen Anne’s County Farm Bureau president and member of the planning committee, said last week.
Rhodes said planning for the event began last December and picked up after Christmas with the 14-member committee pounding the pavement to sell ticket, lock in sponsorships and secure auction items among the many other duties.
“Everybody had a job and went out and made it come together,” Rhodes said. “It was just everybody working together. It was great to see.”
The fundraising continues up and down the Eastern Shore. A Dorchester County group is organizing a benefit banquet for March 24 at the East New Market Fire Hall. For more information, contact Libby Nagel at 410-430-1045.
The Cecil County Young Farmers and Ranchers have decided to donate the proceeds of their sixth annual Sporting Clay Shoot on April 14 at Hopkins Game Farm in Kennedyville, Md.
For more information contact Chris at 302-293-5347 or Jenn at 443-566-6010.

Man Arrested After Attacking Mother for Eating His Sandwich

MARDELA SPRINGS, Md.- A Mardela Springs man is behind bars following accusations that he physically attacked his mother because she had eaten his sandwich.

Patrick E. McCready, 24, is charged with second-degree assault. He is being held in the Wicomico County Detention Center in lieu of $30,000 bond.

The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office reports that early Sunday evening, Feb. 26, McCready had gotten angry because someone had eaten his submarine sandwich. Police said that when McCready realized his mother had eaten it, he allegedly punched her.

Authorities said that during the investigation, the deputy saw signs of injury on McCready's mother that corroborated an assault. The deputy then took McCready into custody on the aforementioned charge.

Two 12-Year-Olds Charged in Del. School Fire

NEWARK, Del. (AP)- Authorities say two 12-year-old students have been charged with arson in a fire at a middle school in Newark.

The fire was reported about noon Thursday at the Cobbs-Gauger Middle School. There was smoke in the hallways and the school was evacuated.

The State Fire Marshal's office says the fire started in a locker and was intentionally set. There were no injuries and damage was estimated at $150.

The two students were arraigned in Family court on Monday and released on $15,000 unsecured bail.

Local Doctor Helps Prevent Concussions in Student-Athletes

DOVER, Del.-  In the old days, athletes talked about "getting their bell rung or "seeing stars!" Now it is important to get tested and see a doctor. Bigger, faster and stronger athletes are suffering serious head injures at an alarming rate.  How do you make sure he or she stays safe from potential concussions and head injuries?

To help stem a recent rise in concussions and ensure the safety of high school athletes, Bayhealth Medical Center neurosurgeon Dr. James Mills is providing "baseline testing" for student athletes at Polytech and Caesar Rodney high schools.  

"We are testing 600 students in all," he said. "The 'baseline' is a half-hour computer test which measures the memory and cognition of the student athlete.  The baseline test score will be a valuable frame of reference in comparing against the same student athlete's test score after he or she suffers a potential concussion."

Mills said gauging subtle changes in memory is a valuable tool in a physician's toolbox in assessing whether a patient has suffered a concussion.  By ensuring the most accurate diagnosis, doctors can help ensure the safety of the patient.  

According to Mills, concussions may happen in a wide variety of sports, not just in football. Getting hit by a pitch in baseball, colliding with another basketball player on the court, or incorrectly ‘heading' a soccer ball may all be scenarios where a concussion is possible.  In fact, Mills said, girls' soccer has one of the highest concussion rates.

"Students are mimicking what they see on television when it comes to sports. They are playing very aggressively and violently. This can be very dangerous and result in dangerous injuries," Mills said.

He said preventing serious brain injuries is vital for student athletes and their families.  Whenever there is a doubt about a possible concussion, we take the athletes off the field to ensure their safety.

New Laurel High School on the Way

LAUREL, Del.- The current Laurel High School is over 40-years-old. The Laurel School District is currently working with the Becker Morgan Group to create a new high school. 

At a meeting held Monday, Feb. 27, the school board was looking to approve the schematics to be sent to the state for further approval.

The new facility will be funded though a bond project by way of the state of Delaware.  School Board President Patrick Vanderslice said this would mean a raise in taxes for Laurel taxpayers, but the $70 million for the new facility has to be used now or else be lost.  Vanderslice said the good thing is that taxpayers will only be responsible for 20 to 30 percent of the total cost and the state will handle the rest.

David Thomas of Laurel said, "If it's going to go toward anything, education is the one thing that I think at this time would be acceptable. But yet again, is it a good time to raise taxes for any reason? You know there are some pros and cons."

The new facility will encompass a new Laurel High School and Laurel Middle School.  Vanderslice said the district hopes to break ground on the project in October and complete the school by the summer of 2014.

This Is A Must Read For All Coaches

Two Choices

What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line, there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?



At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its

Dedicated staff, he offered a question:

'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection.

Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do.

Where is the natural order of things in my son?'



The audience was stilled by the query.



The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:



Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.



I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'



Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt.. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart. The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.

In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.

In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.

Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.



At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.



However, as Shay stepped up to the

Plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.

The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.

The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.

As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.



The game would now be over.

The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman.

Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.



Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.

Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!

Run to first!'

Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base.

He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.



Everyone yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'

Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.

By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball . The smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.

He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.

Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.



All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'



Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third!

Shay, run to third!'



As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'

Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team



'That day', said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, 'the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.



Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!



AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT NOTE TO THIS STORY:

We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.

The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.



If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference.

We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'

So many seemingly trivial interactions between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave the world a little bit colder in the process?



A wise man once said every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst them.



You now have two choices:

1. Delete

2. Forward
May your day, be a Shay Day.


MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE WHO
DECIDES TO PASS THIS ON IN     MEMORY OF SHAY..............

Daytona 500 Under Rain Delay Again!

Still raining in sunny Florida, the Daytona 500 has been postponed until 7:00 pm tonight.

Monday Morning Shooting At Ohio High School

CHARDON, Ohio — Gunfire at a high school outside Cleveland injured a number of students Monday morning, and at least one suspect has been taken into custody, officials said.
The shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the 1,100-student Chardon High School about 30 miles east of Cleveland, said Civil Deputy Erin Knife of the Geauga County Sheriff's Office. She didn't know the number of victims, but multiple news reports cited four students shot.
Television news footage showed anxious parents escorting children away from a school building, and ambulances could be seen outside.
Superintendent Joseph Bergant II told television station WKYC that the culprit is in custody. He said he didn't know the extent of the students' injuries.
A spokeswoman for Cleveland's MetroHealth System said a medical helicopter was dispatched to the high school. Schools in the area were locked down.
Bob Herp, a Chardon trauma nurse, was at a command scene at a local Wal-Mart store where he said helicopters were on the ground.
Chardon is a city of about 5,100 residents.

The Daytona 500 was postponed Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Following a captivating championship and the addition of Danica Patrick, the last thing NASCAR wanted was a glitch.

And certainly not a full-on delay that pushed NASCAR into a lunchtime slot Monday for its biggest event of the year.

But the stock-car series will have to deal with a lower-profile stage for its banner day to open a much-anticipated season.

The Daytona 500 was postponed Sunday for the first time in its 54-year history after heavy rain saturated Daytona International Speedway.

"I know a lot of race fans are disappointed and a lot of people at home on TV, but we just hope they tune in," driver Greg Biffle said.

NASCAR officials spent more than four hours waiting for a window to dry the famed track, but it never came. When the latest storm cell passed over the speedway around 5 p.m., they had little choice but to call it a day. The 500-mile race was rescheduled for noon Monday and will be aired on Fox.

It surely was a huge disappointment.

With several intriguing story lines on tap, NASCAR was hoping to capitalize on the success of last season's down-to-the-wire championship race between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart.

The most significant of them all could be Patrick. The Daytona 500 is the first of 10 scheduled Sprint Cup Series events for Patrick, who left IndyCar behind for a full-time move to NASCAR. She will race for the Nationwide Series championship driving for JR Motorsports.

Stewart, the three-time and defending champion, is trying to snap a 0-for-13 losing streak in the Daytona 500. His 17 victories at Daytona include everything but the 500, ranking him second on the all-time list behind Dale Earnhardt's 34 wins. Stewart will start third when the green flag drops.

And there's Earnhardt Jr., the 2004 Daytona 500 champion. He takes a 129-race losing streak into the event. His last victory was in 2008, his first season with powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports.

Now, it's all on hold. And it could play out in time slots normally occupied for daytime soap operas.

"This is one of the toughest things for us drivers," said Edwards, who will start on the pole. "It's now who can really stay focused. That's not just the drivers, that's the pit crews, the crew chiefs, everyone, the officials. But I think we'll be just fine."

But Monday might be another test for both drivers and fans.

The forecast calls for more rain, and officials are prepared to wait all day and into the night to avoid a Tuesday race, which would strain teams that must get to Phoenix for next week's race.

"The longer runway we have tomorrow to get in the Daytona 500, the greater the likelihood for us to start and finish the event on Monday," NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp said. "There are certainly a lot of considerations that go into the start time decision, and we believe scheduling it for noon gives us the best opportunity for us to get the race in tomorrow."

Eight previous Daytona 500s have endured rain delays, the latest in 2009. But never before had storms forced NASCAR's premier event to be moved.

"I think that's a pretty good record for NASCAR," Edwards said. "They've been living right to have 53 of these and never have one postponed. That's pretty spectacular. ... I think NASCAR, they're doing the right thing, you know, not dragging this out."

Noontime showers sent fans scattering for cover and leaving everyone in wait-and-see mode. Puddles of water formed in parts of the infield, and many fans got drenched as they tried to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation.

Drivers retreated to their motorhomes, relaxing while keeping an eye on developments. Edwards, Brad Keselowski and others took naps. Former Daytona 500 winners Jamie McMurray and Trevor Bayne did in-studio interviews with Fox. Another previous race winner, Ryan Newman, played with his daughter in the motorhome lot.

"I guess I'm gonna have to win the first Monday Daytona 500," Biffle said.

The last shortened Daytona 500 was Matt Kenseth's victory three years ago, when rain stopped the event 48 laps from the finish. He was declared the winner while the cars were parked on pit road.

The 2010 race had more than two hours in delays as NASCAR twice stopped the event to fix a pothole in the surface. McMurray held off Earnhardt Jr. to win that race.

This time around, drivers didn't even get in their cars.

"I didn't know when to eat. I didn't know when to rest. I didn't know what to do," Bobby Labonte said. "I never took my uniform off. I took a nap. I think we cleaned out the refrigerator snacking on things."

Now, NASCAR must deal with the downside of moving its biggest race. Ratings and attendance will suffer, falling short of what the series expected.

Fans surely will have complaints, too.

Daytona president Joie Chitwood said he understood fans were frustrated about the scheduling change that pushed the race back one week later than usual.

NASCAR and the track made the decision to move the start of the season to address an awkward early off weekend and to avoid potential conflicts with the Super Bowl.

Had the race been run on its traditional Sunday, it would have been completed under a bright, blue sky.

"I'm sure I'm going to have some customers tell me about the date change and the challenges that we have with it," Chitwood said. "But I think weather is unpredictable. I think based on the NASCAR schedule, the TV schedule on whole, this was the right move for the industry. We'll continue to work with the last weekend of February.

"It's unfortunate that this had to happen the first year after we made that change. I'm sure I'll be talking to a number of customers in the next weeks ahead about that situation."

Delmar Wrestling Finish Well In State Tournament

Three Delmar Wrestling Seniors competed in the 56 Annual Individual Wrestling State Championship at Cape Henlopen High school Friday night and Saturday. They wrestled the best of the best with heart, determination and sportsmanship. One Delmar parent stated it was the most intense wrestling she had ever seen, all matches had close scores and were tough bouts. Devene Spence finished tenth in the 170lb weight class and ended the season with  a 35-8 record, Dekota Harmon finished sixth in the 182lb weight class and ended his season with a 38-6 Record Dekota was also recognize back in January for having 135 career wins, Josh Wells finished nineth place in the 195lb weight class and ended his season with a 31-10 record.Good Job Guy, way to end the season on a good note.

Delmar Girls Basketball In Playoffs

Delmar- The Delmar Wildcats Girls Basketball team has made the state playoff for the third year in a row, this Tuesday night #15 ranked Delmar Wildcats will host #18 ranked Caesar Rodney, 7pm at Delmar High School. The rankings are based from a 24 team schedule and team strength. Come out and support our girls.
 Good Luck Girls!

Donating For A Future Lacrosse Program

FRUITLAND, Md., - Studies have shown sports keep kids out of trouble. And that's one of the many reasons why two local brothers are hoping to introduce another athletic option to students at the Salisbury Boys and Girls club. Tully and Oakley Wise held a fundraiser at Crown Sports Center to help make it happen.

Tully Wise, says "Today we set up a drop box for collecting sticks to help out the Salisbury Boys and Girls Club to get sticks, so kids can play lacrosse.

Oakley Wise, says "We help some kids with their future and just go out there and play. Teach them to pass and catch. Just get all the fundamentals down so they can be ready for when they get into the big leagues."

There will be another donation drive at Crown Sports this Tuesday from 5 to 7 PM.

SC's Riverbanks Zoo offers its poop for planting

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, S.C., is offering lucky gardeners a chance to put in orders for its famed poop produced by elephants, giraffes and zebras.

Zoo spokeswoman Susan O'Cain says one cubic yard of the manure will be available for $43 a load. The manure sells out quickly, and each order is limited to two loads.

Zoo animals produce about 1,500 pounds of manure every day. For those interested in small amounts, pint-size and two-gallon buckets are placed at zoo entrances throughout the year.

O'Cain says the poop will be available for pickup on March 23. Orders may be placed through www.riverbanks.org

Del. AG Opinion Restricts Power of County Sheriffs

WILIMINGTON, Del. (AP)- County sheriffs in Delaware don't have the legal authority to make arrests.

That's according to an opinion Friday from the state attorney general's office, which also urged lawmakers to clarify the issue.

Sussex Sheriff Jeff Christopher had argued that sheriffs were essentially "peace officers" under state law and therefore had the power of arrest. Christopher had ordered his deputies to stop dangerous drivers and execute arrest warrants. But the opinion issued Friday notes that since sheriffs and their deputies don't attend the state police training academy, they're not expected to enforce the laws.

Christopher said that the nonbinding opinion was not a surprise.

He says he believes the sheriff's office was originally intended to enforce laws on a county level

3 Hurt in Laurel Collision

LAUREL, Del.- Delaware State Police say a driver ran a stop sign and a yield sign at an intersection in Laurel, causing a two-car crash that sent him and two others to area hospitals.

The crash happened shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Sussex Highway (U.S. 13) and Camp Road.

According to police, 21-year-old Corey A. McKelvey of Laurel failed to stop or yield and drove his Dodge Stratus into the path of a Ford Focus driven by 26-year-old Michael A. McFarland, also of Laurel.

McKelvey and his passenger, 18-year-old Brittany A. Jefferson, of Georgetown, were flown to Christiana Hospital. McFarland was taken to a Nanticoke Memorial Hospital.

Police say said it is unknown whether alcohol was a factor, and charges are pending upon the completion of the investigation.

Md. to Apply for No Child Left Behind Waiver

BALTIMORE (AP)- Education officials in Maryland are expected to apply for a waiver from the most rigid requirements of the No Child Left Behind education law.

The waiver request is expected to be filed Monday. If it is granted, Maryland schools would be measured not just on how all students perform but also on specific groups, including minorities and special education students.

The state's application says schools should cut their achievement gaps in half during the next six years. The goals would be more reasonable than the current law. It says every student in the country should be proficient in reading and math by 2014.

Mary Gable, assistant state superintendent of academic policy, says each school will be giving individual goals to meet in six years.

James Buescher dodges wreck to win Daytona race

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- James Buescher was the surprise winner of the Nationwide Series opener at Daytona International Speedway, dodging a huge 11-car accident that wiped out the leaders on the final lap of Saturday's race.

Buescher was in 11th place as he rounded the final turn and weaved his way through a massive pack of spinning race cars.

The accident, the third multi-car wreck in the waning laps, appeared to start as the tandem of Tony Stewart and Elliott Sadler charged to the top of the track to make a three-wide pack among the leaders.

Kurt Busch was leading on the bottom of the track with younger brother, Kyle, pushing, and Kurt Busch seemed to start sliding up the surface in an attempt to block the huge run on the outside. Joey Logano was being pushed through the middle by defending Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne, and all four cars began drifting higher into Stewart, winner of the last four Nationwide openers here, was pinched into the wall.

That triggered a chain-reaction crash that had many worried about the safety of the drivers involved.

"We got a big run on the outside, and all of a sudden the door got slammed on us," said Stewart, NASCAR's defending Sprint Cup champion. "I don't know why whoever it was turned right, but it wasn't a very good time to either try blocking or moving."

Kurt Busch admitted he tried to "crowd the outside lane."

"`Didn't know that there were two cars up there. I thought it was just a single lane," he said. "I was trying to side draft to get the best finish I could at the end. Everybody was racing to the end. Man, a lot of tore-up cars. That's just everybody full throttle at the end."

There was initial concern for his younger brother, Kyle, who appeared to clear the wreck but was hooked by defending Nationwide champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. The contact sent Kyle Busch straight into the wall.

"I don't even know where to start. I don't even know what happened," said Kyle Busch. "I thought we had the race won. Then those guys were coming on the top, and I thought, `We'll see where we settled in here.' When they all crashed up high, I was clear. I shot as low as I could, and somebody tagged me in the back and hooked me dead right. It was a really, really hard hit, and there were a few more after that. It seemed like they kept coming.

"I swore when they all went up high. I was the leader for a second, and I'm like, "I won this thing. I won this thing.'"

But it was Buescher, who went low - so low he crossed the yellow out-of-bounds line, but NASCAR said it's allowed when avoiding an accident - to skirt the cars and take the checkered flag. Buescher's win was his first in NASCAR and came a day after unknown John King won the Truck Series opener in another wreckfest.

The multiple big wrecks have prompted concerns about Sunday's season-opening Daytona 500. NASCAR worked hard during the offseason to break up the two-car tandem racing that fans disliked, and the return of pack racing has led to many accidents over SpeedWeeks.

But Brad Keselowski and Sadler, who finished second and third, both said they feel safe going into Sunday's race.

Keselowski said NASCAR is in a difficult position of giving fans what they want in restrictor-plate racing and making it a safe event.

"I feel like we walk a line in this sport between daredevils and chess players," he said. "When we come to Daytona and a track like this, we're maybe more on the daredevil side of the line. And then we go other places where I'd say we're more on the chess-player side of the line. I think it's important to have tracks like this that maybe average it back out a little bit."

"Ideally, we'd like to just walk straight down the line all the time. But from a standpoint of the sport and the health of it, I think not a lot of people watch chess matches, and I've never seen one televised."

Danica Patrick, meanwhile, started from the pole but was wrecked 49 laps into the race when JR Motorsports teammate Cole Whitt ran into the back of her while bump-drafting. Her car spun into the wall and back down the track. Although she returned the damaged Chevrolet to the track late, she finished 38th in the first race of what will be her first full season in the Nationwide Series.

"Well, we were just doing big pack racing and went down into three, got a little tap, got a little bit sideways, saved it, and then just got hit again and couldn't save it. You guys saw the rest from there," she said.

Cop suspended, charged after raiding refrigerator

DEER PARK, Texas (AP) -- A sting operation by a suburban Houston police department netted one of their own when surveillance cameras caught an officer repeatedly stealing colleagues' food and drinks from the refrigerator in the station's break room.

Deer Park police Officer Kevin Yang was charged with misdemeanor theft and suspended for 30 days without pay. Deer Park Police Chief Greg Griggs tells KTRK-TV (http://bit.ly/w3B4KP ) of Houston that a class C misdemeanor conviction would not keep Yang from returning to duty.

Griggs says he authorized the video sting because the thefts have been going on for too long. Even though the items being stolen may be of trivial value, Griggs says theft is theft.

Yang tells KTRK that he was merely taking it upon himself to keep the shared refrigerator clean.

Ca. girl, 11, fights classmate, dies hours later

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- An 11-year-old girl is dead following an after school fight at a Long Beach elementary school, but authorities say they have no immediate plans for arrests.

Police said Saturday night that the girl died at a hospital hours after the fight with another 11-year-old girl outside the school.

Authorities say Friday's fight didn't appear to be especially serious or violent, no weapons were used and neither girl was knocked to the ground.

But Deputy Chief Robert Luna said at a news conference that when she returned to an afterschool program, adults noticed she wasn't feeling well.

She was hospitalized and had emergency surgery but died about six hours after the fight.

A coroner has not yet determined a cause of death.

Police are investigating and say no arrests are immediately planned.

Relatives mourn soldiers' deaths in Afghanistan

DOVER, Del. (AP) -- A sister of one of two U.S. military police officers killed in the violent backlash in Afghanistan over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base says relatives of both men are devastated by their deaths.

Amanda Meland, the oldest sister of Cpl. T.J. Conrad of Roanoke, Va., who was posthumously promoted to sergeant, said he had spoken recently about the violent protests. Conrad, the father of a 7-month-old baby, deployed to Afghanistan in January and was to have celebrated his 23rd birthday on March 6.

"You see it on TV, you see it in the movies, but you just never expect it's going to be your family or your soldier," she told The Associated Press after being advised of Conrad's death.

The bodies of Conrad and Sgt. Joshua Born, 25, of Niceville, Fla., both assigned to the Army's Fort Stewart in Georgia, were returned Saturday to the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base.

On Thursday, an Afghan soldier turned his gun on foreign troops, killing the two American soldiers, during a riot outside a U.S. base in Nangarhar province, officials have said.

Rising anti-American sentiments in that country over the Quran burnings have resulted in two more American deaths since: two U.S. military advisers - a lieutenant colonel and a major whose names were not immediately released - were found dead in their office with shots to the back of their heads. It is still unclear who shot the men inside a heavily secured wing of Afghanistan's Interior Ministry, or if the attacker had been apprehended.

On Saturday, white-gloved military teams somberly lifted the flag-draped cases bearing the remains of Conrad and Born from an arriving plane at Dover Air Force Base before transferring them to the mortuary.

Contacted by AP, Meland said Conrad was in good spirits Wednesday when she and other relatives last spoke with him via Skype. She added: "... He did say that things were starting to get crazy from the backlash."

Conrad wanted to make the military his career, planning to re-enlist and hoping to be stationed at Fort Eustis, Va., to be closer to family, according to his sister. Meland also said he was hoping to have another baby.

Meland said Conrad's widow, Holly, was not at the couple's house when military officials initially came to notify her of his death. "They had come earlier, but she was not there. She had actually just mailed out his birthday package," Meland explained.

Born's relatives could not immediately be reached.

Days of protests in Afghanistan prompted that country's president on Sunday to appeal in a televised address to his compatriots for calm.

More than two dozen people, including the four U.S. troops, have been killed since Tuesday, when it first emerged that Qurans and religious materials had been thrown into a fire pit used to burn garbage at Bagram Air Field, a large U.S. base north of Kabul. President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials apologized and said it was a terrible mistake, but the incident has sent thousands into the streets in Afghanistan.

Update: Elderly Couple From Pocomoke Located in Florida

POCOMOKE, Md. (AP/WBOC) - Maryland State Police are looking for an elderly couple who left Pocomoke to move to Florida and has been located after a week of no contact with family.

Ninety-one-year-old Merton S. Cowger and 92-year-old Virginia W. Hooper packed all their belongings on Feb. 15 and left to move to Okeechobee, Fla. On Feb. 21, Hooper's daughter contacted Maryland authorities and said she had not heard from her mother for four days. The couple was located safe in Okeechobee, Fla.

Car Falls Off Transporter And Overturns ON Dover Bridge

Easton -Police said that a tractor trailer car transporting a load of cars struck the bridge. The trailer was traveling South on MD 331 approaching the bridge. 

Officials said that as the trailer approached the bridge, one of the new vehicles it was hauling on its trailer, struck the bridge.  

The car then broke from the trailer and fell upside down on to the bridge deck. A car traveling behind the trailer, braked to avoid collision. The debris from the collision hit the front of the car, causing superficial damage. 

Authorities said, there was damage to the frame of the Dover Bridge. State Highway Officials responded and deemed the bridge safe to be re-opened. 

An investigation revealed that the driver failed to lower the car transporting trailer to the maximum height of 13 feet 6 inches causing it to strike the bridge which is 14 feet 4 inches.  

One passenger from the car involved was transported to Easton Memorial Hospital by a family member for precautionary reasons.

Prosecutor Seeks Probation For 9-Year-Old Boy

BREMERTON, Wash. -- A Washington state prosecutor says his office will seek probation and treatment for a 9-year-old boy who took to school a gun that accidentally discharged and critically injured a classmate this past week.
The third-grader faces charges of unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault. He is facing a capacity hearing in which a judge will determine if he knew what he did was wrong. If the judge decides the boy knew, the charges go forward.
An 8-year-old classmate – Amina Kocer-Bowman – was wounded. She is in a Seattle hospital in critical condition after undergoing surgeries.
Few additional details of the case have been released, though the investigation may include a look at how the boy got the .45-caliber pistol that went off in his backpack.
Hauge said his office is working with the investigative agencies involved in the shooting.
Police believe the boy got the gun during a weekend visit with his mother, Jamie Lee Chaffin.
According to court documents, Chaffin has been convicted of forgery and drug crimes. As a felon, her right to own a firearm was revoked. She completed court-ordered drug treatment, and no additional criminal charges were filed against her after 2007.
The boy's father, Jason Cochran, has been convicted of violating protection orders relating to Chaffin and has been taken to court for child support.
Both parents relinquished custody of the boy and his two sisters to his paternal grandmother. She died shortly after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2010, and the boy's uncle Patrick Cochran was granted custody.

Delmar Wrestlers AT State Tournament This Weekend

Three Delmar High School wrestlers are competing in the 56 Annual Individual Delaware State Championship being held this weekend at Cape Henlopen High School in Lewis Delaware.The Senior trio battled their way to the states by placing in the top six of their weight classes in the Henlopen Conference tournament held last weekend at Sussex Central High School. Delmar Daily would like to congratulate,

Devene Spence     170lb Weight class           Record 34-6

Dekota Harmon    182lb Weight class           Record 36-3

Josh Wells            195lb Weight class           Record 30-8

Good Luck Guys!

Elderly Couple From Pocomoke Goes Missing on Drive to Fla.

POCOMOKE, Md. (AP) - Maryland State Police are looking for an elderly couple who left Pocomoke to move to Florida and have not been heard from for more than a week.

Ninety-one-year-old Merton S. Cowger and 92-year-old Virginia W. Hooper packed all their belongings on Feb. 15 and left to move to Okeechobee, Fla. On Feb. 21, Hooper's daughter contacted Maryland authorities and said she had not heard from her mother for four days. The couple still has not been heard from.

Troopers describe Cowger as being white, 5-foot-3 and weighing 143 pounds. Hooper is white, 4-foot-10 and weighs 120 pounds. They were last known to be operating a beige or light brown 2002 Ford Crown Victoria with Maryland registration PH 03923. The PH indicates a Purple Heart license plate.

Storm Leaves Behind Damage in Parts of Dorchester, Sussex Counties

A late Friday afternoon storm resulted in significant wind damage to parts of Dorchester County, Md. and Sussex County, Del.

High winds tore off the metal roof of Miller's Upholstery Repair on Middle Ford Road. There were no reported injuries. The business's owners said the building was not occupied at the time of the storm. Underneath the metal roof was a flat roof, which the business's owners said helped protect the rest of the building from further damage.

In parts of Dorchester County, Md., several trees and utility poles were blown down, leaving power outages in their wake. Some buildings in the Cambridge, East New Market and Hurlock areas also sustained wind damage. 

Also in Cambridge, a FedEx tractor-trailer overturned shortly after 4 p.m. on the Frederick C. Malkus Bridge that crosses the Choptank River. The accident resulted in significant traffic delays while emergency crews investigated and cleared the scene. The bridge was reopened to traffic shortly after 6 p.m. Police have not yet indicated the cause of the accident, but straight line winds are believed to have been a factor.

Windy Weather to Blame for Overturned Tractor-Trailer on Cambridge Bridge

CAMBRIDGE, Md.- Traffic was shut down for about two hours Friday after a FedEx tractor-trailer overturned on the Malkus Bridge between Cambridge and Trappe. Following an investigation by Maryland State Police, weather has been deemed the cause of the accident.

According to MSP, the tractor-trailer, driven by Richard L. Fleishman, 36, of Linthicum, was blown over by a large, powerful gust just before 4 p.m. Friday, while crossing the bridge. Fleishman was transported to Dorchester General Hospital for minor injuries sustained in the accident.

MSP say no charges will be issued in this incident.

Man charged after cooking own meal at Denny's

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Police say a Wisconsin man took the Denny's restaurant chain slogan "America's diner is always open" too far, marching into one of the restaurants, announcing he was the new boss and cooking himself dinner.

James Summers walked into a Madison Denny's on Tuesday dressed in a maroon tie and black trench coat and carrying a briefcase, according to police. He strode into the manager's office, told her he was the new general manager and then fixed himself a burger, fries and a soda before police arrived.

"This is why you don't dine and dash, kiddies," Summers yelled out to diners as officers took him away, police said in a release.

Police found a stun gun in a hip holster under his coat and crack pipes in his briefcase, a criminal complaint showed. Prosecutors charged him Wednesday with disorderly conduct and possession of drug paraphernalia, both misdemeanors, and felony possession of an electronic weapon.

According to the complaint and the police news release, Summers, 52, entered the Denny's and found restaurant manager Tracy Brant counting out the day's receipts in a back office. He announced he was her new general manager and would be starting work that evening.

Brant challenged him, saying corporate headquarters hadn't notified her of any new general manager. She suggested he had the wrong restaurant.

But Summers maintained his story, growing more confrontational after Brant told him she didn't believe him. He told her he was starting and that was final, investigators said in the complaint.

She was able to get Summers out of the office and close her door. She called a hiring manager who confirmed Summers didn't work for Denny's.

While she was on the phone, her cooks knocked on the door and told her Summers had prepared himself a meal. He was in the middle of eating when Brant confronted him again. She told him he didn't work for Denny's and he had to leave.

Summers shot back that he had worked for Denny's for 30 years and Brant wasn't going to tell him he couldn't work there. When Brant asked him how he planned to pay for his $10 meal, he told her he wouldn't - and couldn't - pay.

Brant called 911. Police found Summers as he was walking across the restaurant parking lot. He told officers that he had an alcohol and drug addiction, according to the complaint.

Summers' initial court appearance was Wednesday. Court records show a public defender represented him. A spokesman for the state public defender's office declined comment Thursday, saying the office won't represent Summers as the case progresses.

A Denny's employee referred calls to a Denny's area manager, who didn't immediately return a message left by The Associated Press. A manager told a reporter who visited the Madison restaurant Thursday afternoon no one would comment.

Mayor Ireton's State Of The City Address

SALISBURY, Md. - Thursday night Salisbury Major Jim Ireton held the "State Of The City Of Salisbury" meeting at Salisbury University. The mayor featured the success of several area businesses, public departments and the individuals that keep the city running. Ireton also announced several statistics including the significant drop in 2011 crime rates.

He also presented an 8-year plan that includes increasing job and housing numbers. "These are my goals for downtown Salisbury from the years 2012 to 2020. Here's the background. Nearly 3,080 new private sector jobs and professional and retail jobs alone are expected to come to Wicomico County by 2020. Over 1,000 jobs are expected in the healthcare industry," says Ireton. The mayor also announced that over the next 3 weeks, city officials will be "rolling out" the new plans.

IRS Owes $3.8M to Del. Residents From 2008

DOVER, Del. (AP)- The Internal Revenue Service says Delaware residents who did not file a federal income tax return for 2008 are owed refunds totaling $3.8 million. And a deadline to apply for the money is approaching.

The IRS says more than 4,000 residents are owed the money. However, they must file a 2008 return by April 17.

There is no penalty for filing a late return qualifying for a refund.

The IRS says people may not have filed because they had too little income or made quarterly estimated payments

Despite Mild Winter, Must Snow Removal Money Gone

BALTIMORE (AP)- With mild weather and little snow this winter, Maryland residents might think the state is saving a bundle in snow removal costs.

In fact, the State Highway Administration says it has spent more than $30 million of its $36 million snow removal budget for this winter.

State highway crews have been called out 14 times this winter. Despite the fact that there have only been two or three times when salting or plowing was needed in the Baltimore area, crews must be ready for a storm even if the forecast changes.

SHA crews have also plowed seven feet of snow in western Maryland.

Laurel Man Charged After Taking up Residency in Animal Barn

DELMAR, Md.- The Wicomico County Sheriff's Office has arrested a Laurel, Del., man accused of illegally trying to make a home out of a Delmar property owner's animal barn.

Police said that at 6:53 p.m. Wednesday, 20-year-old Ryan Moore moved into a barn on private property on the 29000 block of West Line Road and established residency without permission from the owner.

Authorities said Moore gained access to the barn by entering and exiting the building through a door used by the animals. Officers said the homeowner confronted Moore and asked him to leave, but Moore refused to comply.

Moore was arrested and charged with fourth-degree burglary and trespassing. He was ordered held in the Wicomico County Detention Center on $3,000 bond. 

Wicomico County School Uniforms

Delmar-  Delmar Elementary School sent home info on the "Consistent Attire Program". Keep in mind this is just a draft and changes can be made but your input if needed. This program will go into effect in the 2012/2013 school year. A copy may be picked up at Delmar Elementary, question or concerns can be made by calling (410)677-5251 or email comments@wcboe.org, Delmar High School has had this in affect for a few years now, its really not a bad idea and it saves the parents money.

 The Consistent Attire Program Has already passed its first reading the WCBOE voted, 4 to 1 to move the program into a final reading to be held on March 13, 2012.

Wicomico County Schools Superintendent John Frederickson Is Ticketed

Salisbury- John Frederickson, superintendent of Wicomico County Schools has been issued tickets on two different occasions for speeding in school zones, one of which he appeared in court stating his wife was operating the vehicle. This is just unacceptable for a man of such statue, in order to receive a school zone camera ticket you must exceed the maximum speed limit by 12 mph. I guess he has the safety of Wicomico County School kids on his mind all the time. Keep in mind this is just one of many screw ups for this guy and the appointed WCBOE renewed his contract. complements of sbynews.

Irrigation management program soon to hit fields

NEWARK, Del. — This growing season, Delaware corn and soybean farmers will be able to use an irrigation scheduling program tailor-made for their state.
The Delaware Irrigation Management System, a web-based tool, is expected to be available by the end of February, according to Kevin Brinson, systems manager at the University of Delaware’s Delaware Environmental Observing System.
Development of the DIMS tool began in late 2010, Brinson said, working with Delaware Cooperative Extension staffers Cory Whaley and James Adkins.
Last year was “testing time” for the system and this year Brinson said it’s ready for growers to use on fields planted in corn or soybeans.
“There was nothing really for Delaware that did this. We were basically borrowing something from somewhere else and trying to adapt it to what we had here,” Brinson said. “This tool is actually specifically geared toward Delaware.”
To use the system, growers will first need to “set up” or register the fields they plan to track through the season, Brinson said, by entering a name for the field, its planting date, crop (corn or soybeans) and location.
From there, the system follows a “checkbook method” common in other irrigation scheduling programs — updating the soil moisture profile after rainfall or irrigation event entered by the grower.
For rainfall, the system uses data from the DEOS weather stations around the state or a grower can enter his own rainfall data from a specific field.
Data on soil type from the USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service and any irrigation data is added by the grower to chart the soil moisture in the field to help the grower decide when to irrigate next.
Brinson said the tool won’t make recommendations on when an irrigation will be needed, but should give a good picture as to what’s been going on in the field.
“It gives (growers) a glimpse as to how they’re doing and from there it’s up to them,” he said.
The genesis of developing DIMS came out of helping growers avoid unnecessary irrigations while still maximizing crop production though an environmental benefit has attracted attention from state and federal agencies.
“Their hopes are if (farmers) are putting on the correct amount of water, they’re utilizing all the nutrients in the crop” and keeping more nutrients from getting into waterways, Brinson said.
When it’s ready for full use, the scheduling system will be accessible at the DEOS website, www.deos.udel.edu. Brinson said outreach efforts through Delaware NRCS offices will begin as well to promote using system

DelDOT Calls for Internal Investigation

DOVER, Del.- Delaware Department of Transportation Secretary Shailen Bhatt has called for an investigation of the agency after issues came to light involving faulty record keeping, missing and uncashed checks. 

Bhatt said after Freedom of Information Act requests came in, the agency discovered irregularities in processes and procedures, as well as with its archaic file management system.  Bhatt said DelDOT will use a forensic accounting firm and a security firm to inspect the agency's existing policies and past records.

"We talked about the forensic accounting firm to put rest all the issues with regards to the checks and then an investigative firm to come in and run down some of the issues," Bhatt said. "I feel like that will deal with legacy issues."

Bhatt said DelDOT will also use $1 million to upgrade its software systems. 

"When somebody comes in they're not looking at a scribbled note stuck in a file, in the wrong place, because its seven years later," he said. "We're going to go into the software system and see what exact notes were at that time and track entire life of project."

Bhatt said he hopes the investigations will help DelDOT establish a system transparency. 

"We want to be able to reassure tax payers and Delawareans that DelDOT is an agency that can be trusted," said Bhatt.  "We want the employees to feel that they have pride in their agency."

Nepalese man, claims to be world's shortest

KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - He has never worked outside the home or seen a doctor, and until Wednesday, he had never left his remote mountain village in western Nepal. So 72-year-old Chandra Bahadur Dangi only recently learned he might be the world's shortest man.

Dangi says he's only 22 inches (56 centimeters) tall - about the size of a toddler - and he's hoping to claim the title. Guinness World Records said in an email Wednesday that its officials would arrive in Nepal's capital Sunday to measure Dangi.

Dangi took his first trip outside his village and his first trip on a plane to reach Katmandu on Wednesday.

"I am very happy to be in Katmandu for the first time in my life. I am here so I can take the Guinness title," Dangi told reporters at the airport.

Dangi, who has never been married, lives with his eldest brother and his family in Rhimkholi village, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) west of Katmandu. Because of his height, he has never worked outside the house, doing only household chores. His five brothers are of average size.

His family is not sure when he stopped growing, and Dangi said he has never been checked by a medical doctor. He attended a few classes in the village school, but soon dropped out.

Dangi eats mainly rice and vegetables, and occasionally meat, but in small portions.

Since the village is so remote, it was only recently that Dangi gained notice. A forest contractor cutting timber in the village met him and informed local media after Dangi's height was measured.

Dangi's nephew, Dolak Dangi, said that before the contractor's visit, the family did not know his uncle's exact height, and that he was shorter than the world's shortest man.

Guinness currently recognizes Junrey Balawing of the Philippines, who is 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) tall.

Another Nepalese man, Khagendra Thapa Magar, was known as the world's shortest man, at 26.4 inches (67 centimeters), before Balawing took over the title on his 18th birthday in June.

In December, Guinness recognized an Indian teenager as the world's shortest woman. Jyoti Amge is 24.7 inches (62.8 centimeters) tall and wants to attend university and become a Bollywood star.

8-year-old critical after Wash. school shooting

SEATTLE (AP) - Police say a gun brought to a Washington state elementary school in a third grader's backpack discharged, apparently by accident, critically wounding an 8-year-old classmate.

Investigators were trying to determine how the 9-year-old boy got the gun and why he brought it to school, a Bremerton, Wash., police spokesman said.

"At this stage of the investigation, detectives believe the shooting was accidental," Lt. Peter Fisher said in a statement late Wednesday.

At the end of Wednesday's school day, a bullet went through the backpack and hit the little girl, Fisher said.

Amina Kocer-Bowman was in critical condition Wednesday night after surgery at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, hospital spokeswoman Leila Gray said.

The Bremerton Schools superintendent's office said the girl was shot in the abdomen.

KING-TV reported that her friends and relatives gave a 'thumbs up' signal to reporters as they left the hospital late Wednesday.

The boy who brought the gun to Armin Jahr Elementary in Bremerton was booked into Kitsap County juvenile detention for investigation of unlawful possession of a gun, bringing a dangerous weapon to school and third-degree assault.

The gun was recovered from a classroom. Police did not immediately describe it.

There have been shootings at schools that involved younger children. In 2000, 6-year-old Kayla Rolland, a Michigan first-grader, was fatally shot by a 6-year-old classmate who brought a gun from home. Last year, a 6-year-old kindergartner at a Houston elementary school accidentally fired a gun as he was showing it off to friends, injuring three students.

Bremerton Schools spokeswoman Patty Glaser said the school where Wednesday's shooting happened, with about 400 students, planned to be open for classes on Thursday. She said three counselors would be available to talk with teachers, students and parents.

The school is in a quiet residential neighborhood about 20 miles west of Seattle, across Puget Sound.

Fisher said officers and emergency crews were dispatched to the school around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in response to a call that a student was shot by another student.

The school went into lockdown immediately after the shooting, Glaser said. Parents picked up their children later in the afternoon.

In the latest rating by the Brady Campaign, a national gun control advocacy group, Washington scored no points in the child safety category because the state does not require trigger locks for guns and lacks laws to prevent child access to firearms.

"Washington state is a loosely regulated state when it comes to firearms," said Gregory Roberts, executive director of Washington Cease Fire, a Brady Campaign affiliate.

Amanda Roth, a staff attorney for the San Francisco-based Legal Community Against Violence, said 27 states and the District of Columbia have some form of firearm child access prevention laws. Such laws can include requirements to use gun locks and criminal penalties for adults who allow children to get their hands on guns.

Laurel Baseball Coach Seriously Injured in Crash

BLADES, Del.- Delaware State Police say a Laurel man sustained serious injuries after the car he was driving struck a tractor-trailer that was backing into a driveway near Blades late Tuesday night.

Troopers said the accident occurred at around 10:14 p.m., as 59-year-old Howard J. West of Seaford was attempting to back his Freightliner tractor-trailer into a private driveway off of Bethel Concord Road, located approximately one mile east of U.S. Route 13.  

Police said 31-year-old Marc D. Morgan of Laurel was driving a Ford Taurus eastbound on Bethel Concord Road when he failed to see the flatbed trailer that was perpendicular in the road. Police said the Taurus then went under the trailer, leaving Morgan pinned inside the car.

Morgan, who police said was properly restrained, was removed from his car by EMS and initially transported to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital before being flown to Christiana Hospital due to his injuries.
 
West was properly restrained and not injured in the crash, according to police.
 
Bethel Concord Road was closed for approximately four hours as the crash was investigated and cleared.

Wicomico County Hopes to Add Speed Cameras in School Zones

SALISBURY, Md.- Speed cameras already exist around schools in Salisbury, Fruitland, Delmar and Princess Anne, based on city approval. Now, Wicomico County wants to add additional cameras throughout school zones within the county.

The plan to get the speed cameras up and running is on hold, at least for now, because Wicomico County Council members say they need more information as to where the devices will be placed. According to some council members, speed areas are not clearly specified by the county. They are asking the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office to provide clarification.

As it stands now in Salisbury, cameras are currently operational within a half-mile radius of Bennett Middle and High Schools on College Avenue. The city installed those cameras in October 2011. Police say that since then, they have seen a dramatic decrease in the number of citations issued for speeding.

The county wants to continue that trend by adding four to six more cameras within county school zones.

Drivers who spoke with WBOC said they have a lot of mixed reactions about this plan.

"I think they are helpful because people do speed a lot and it just slows them down a little bit and makes them think before they put their foot to the gas," said Yolanda Chaikel of Salisbury.

But Christopher Wood disagrees.

"When I drive here, I don't really speed that often and I think money can be spent in other areas around the county," he said.

Anyone caught violating the speed limit can expect to be hit with a $40 fine. No points against licenses would be incurred.

The Sheriff's Office is expected to return to the council in two weeks with an update specifying the speed radius those cameras will enforce.

The speed cameras would be mobile, so that they could be moved from one school zone to another throughout the year.

According to the Sheriff's Office, there would be a 30-day warning period for these speed cameras.

Authorities said the cameras are on track to be put in place by early spring.

Transformer Explosion in Industrial Park Kills Man

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (WBOC/AP)- Authorities say a man has been killed in a blast while apparently trying to steal metal from an electrical box at the Princess Anne Industrial Park.

Princess Anne police said the man was badly burned by high-voltage equipment at an empty building on Park Drive shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday. The man, whose body was too charred to be identified, has been taken to the State Medical Examiner's Office in Baltimore for an autopsy.

Police said the person may have been trying to steal copper or other metals at the time. Princess Anne Police Chief Scott Keller noted that there have been several metal thefts recently at the building.

Delmarva Power said the incident temporarily knocked out power to other nearby commercial buildings.

Walnut Street Project

Last night Mayor Carl Anderton held a informal meeting to gather input on the Walnut Street construction, he wanted to inform Walnut Street residents about the construction, what was going to happen,when it was going to start and to get the residents point of view, The hot topic of the meeting was sidewalks, Seems the residents are against sidewalks and would rather have roll curbs. The plans submitted showed sidewalks on the north side of walnut street only, town officials along with engineers are checking to make sure this is possible. so to the residents of Delmar Maryland it looks like the our elected officials are doing what they promised. Keep up the good work guys.

On a different note, Howard from the Delmar Dustpan decided to show up at the meeting, keep in mind he does not LIVE on Walnut Street nor does he LIVE in Maryland, he tried to give his input and  I quickly let that be known, my opinion if you do not live on Walnut Street or in Delmar Maryland you should not have been at the meeting. Also this was a informal meeting strictly for input, why does he think the whole council should have attended? Because it is just one more thing for him to bitch about, so if you want to know where the other council members we pick up the phone and call them, than tell us how that worked for ya.

It should not be a surprise that I don't Like Howard, back in December he posted a negative comment about the high school chores concert, pretty much said they were terrible, that has just pissed me off, nobody should ever say such things about kids that are at least trying, why would anybody discourage kids? After reading his blog I have found he takes his stabs at everyone, council, law enforcement (because he got a speeding ticket) and who or what ever he don't agree with, and he also endorsed Tom Mcguire,who ran for town council,who is the person that just arrested for sexual abuse of a child and arson, kind of makes you wounder what kind of guy he is. Sorry to blow off steam but Delmar is tired of this type of reporting from the Delmar Dustpan.


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