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editorial:
Cut Spending to Essentials
Southern Maryland Police Briefs:
Pot not in danger of going out of style anytime soon!
While 92% of blacks support Obama, Hillary notes that
whites vote for her
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Freedom Firefighter Special Chief’s Edition Ridge
Fire Dept. Gun Raffle
Wellington LTD Henry ‘Big Boy’The Ridge Volunteer
Fire Department will be selling 1000 raffle tickets for
the Big Boy. Tickets are $10.00 each, and RVFD is the
sole beneficiary of the sales. Once all 1000 tickets are
sold, the drawing will be held. Presence will not be
required during drawing to win. Ticket purchasers must
be 18 years of age or older. Winner must present a State
issued identification for valid prove of age. The Spirit
that drives them is a national treasure, the "Unsung
Heroes" of every community across our great nation, the
American Firefighter. Wellington LTD takes pride
in honoring these great men and women who give so much.
Scenes depicting our firefighters and the test they face
each day are captured forever in the 24-karat gold on
the receiver and in the American Walnut stock of this
Henry Big Boy. 301-872-5571 or 301-866-0466
info@ridgevfd.org
tim.ridgell@ridgevfd.org
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Splish Splash...not taking a bath...now body is found!
Family claims police broke man's arms, threw him in
lake...man who ran from cops drowned when he failed to
swim, walk on water, have a straw to breath through like
in the movies...a likely candidate for the Darwin Awards
for this year....
LUSBY (May 6, 2008) --- Calvert Sheriff Mike Evans now
confirms that a man who ran from police on Friday night
when neighbors called to complain about a loud party was
found dead today in Lake Lariat, near his home.
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Heroes
at Work:
Drivers couldn't figure out the meaning of Stop at the
intersection of Shangri-la Drive and Willows Road in
front of the Lexington Park Baptist Church and ended up
in a classic "T Bone" crash between the white car and
the Mustang. The woman at right with the
baby said she was the at fault driver and she wasn't
posing for no show. PS. The STOP
sign is red and nailed to a
big post at the intersection.
MORE
ST. MARY'S TODAY photos by Matthew Ivancie
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just when you thought it was safe to go back in the
water....
Slots Coming BACK!
'Slots Queen ' Judge Rules in Favor of Her Old Friends
St. Mary's
Circuit Court Judge Karen Abrams
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
Judge
Karen Abrams sat on the boards of the "charities" who
had sought an injunction forbidding the State of
Maryland, the St. Mary's Sheriff and States Attorney
from blocking placement of slot machines at Fred's
Liquors in Charlotte Hall. The action had been sought by
Alternatives for Youth and Families Inc. and Center for
Children Inc. and Sorrells Liquors and Sporting Goods
t/a Fred's Liquors.
LEONARDTOWN (May 2,
2008) --- "The operator of Fred's Liquors admitted in
court that the charities only got $63,000 from the slot
machines while the supplier of the machines, Impact
Gaming got half of the total take and Fred's was paid
$178,000 during the time the machines were in place,"
said St. Mary's Sheriff Tim Cameron. "I am
disappointed over the Judge's ruling."
Slot machine opponents: Comptroller Peter Franchot,
Delegate John Bohanan and Senator Roy Dyson.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
Comptroller Calls for Appeal of Ruling;
Says Slots Breed Crime & Corruption
"It is my hope that today's
ruling is appealed so that local law enforcement can get
back to cracking down on this illegal gaming. Today's
development reinforces why we should not enshrine slot
machine gaming into our state's constitution this
November as it is a regressive tax which breeds crime,
corruption and addiction," Comptroller Peter Franchot
told ST. MARY'S TODAY.
More details later online and in print this weekend on
newsstands....
St. Mary's Sheriff Tim Cameron, left, and St. Mary's
States Attorney Richard Fritz, right.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photos
St. Mary's Sheriff
Tim Cameron accepted the court ruling on Friday as a
temporary setback and said he will continue to push
ahead with any legal steps possible to rid the county of
the slot machines.
"We were already seeing the first incidents of the crime
involved with these machines, robberies, prostitution
and more domestic problems, I am hopeful we will be able
to develop a strategy to keep them out of the county,
this is not good for the people of this county."
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Slots raid by cops as easy as ABC at ADF
Comptroller says slots are bad bet for Maryland
St. Mary's
Sheriff's Deputy Julian Schwab, right, puts his brawn
into the chore of seizing slot machines and ramping up
the investigation of the Sheriff which has gone on for
the last four months. All slot machines in St.
Mary's were believed to have been removed prior to today
as a result of warnings that an Attorney General's
advisory that these machines were not legal "instant
bingo" machines but were indeed illegal slot machines.
Detective Clay Safford pulls on a machine while Deputy
Michael Worrey pushes. ST. MARY'S TODAY
photos
NEW MARKET
(May 1, 2008) St. Mary's Sheriff's deputies are
carrying out a raid on the ADF Bingo Hall in New Market,
seizing more than 60 slot machines which have remained
in the bingo hall in spite of a warning from the Sheriff
and the State Police that they would be in violation of
the law if the machines remained in place.
The raid is coming just six weeks following a joint
audit team of the Comptroller, State Police and
Sheriff's Department.
Slot machines believed to be the old style and legal are
still in place at the Mechanicsville Moose Lodge but St.
Mary's Sheriff Tim Cameron said that all of these
machines are supposed to be unplugged or removed.
Warren Hansen, spokesman for Maryland Comptroller Peter
Franchot, said today that the Comptrollers Office recent
audit of the slot machines in St. Mary's County is still
part of the Sheriff's Department investigation and no
fines have yet been levied as a result of that audit.
“I want to applaud the law
enforcement officials involved in today's seizure of
over 60 video gaming machines in St. Mary's County,"
Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot told ST. MARY'S
TODAY. "This action is part of a vigorous,
on-going effort to crackdown on illegal gambling, and I
am proud of my agency's full participation in it.
Ironically, as law enforcement agents work to shut down
the crime and corruption associated with these
operations, the national gambling industry is trying to
amend our State's constitution and make slots a part of
everyday life in Maryland. Slots won't lower anyone's
taxes, but will lead to more crime, addictions and
foreclosures. The situation in St. Mary's County should
serve as a stark reminder that slots are a bad bet for
Maryland.”
Past Articles on Slot Machines
Ruling by Attorney General
Whorehouses for Charity?
Funky St. Mary's College Shows Skin for May 1st!
The Good, the Bare and the Flabby!
ST. MARY'S CITY --- While Communists march in the few
remaining commie countries, the Mexicans unfurl their
flag as the conspire to take over several western states
(they can have California as long as they take all of
the movie stars) and they march protesting the fact that
most Americans don't want them to plunge illegally
across the border and other left-wing loonies parade
around for the most obscure reasons, you can count on
college students to take off their clothes and jump into
the St. Mary's River for perhaps no reason at all.
Were they streaking and skinny-dipping in order to raise
money for Hospice? Nope. Were they painting
some parts of their anatomy before running 'neked as a
jaybird' down the hill to the river after testing the
St. Mary's for e-coli bacteria. Nope. They
were simply participating in the event as seniors as a
way of defying authority. Hell, if they really
serious, they would have waited until dark and then had
a bonfire party at Church Point like in the old days but
May 1st is a little early and the water is still cold
and the air is cold and maybe having this on June 1st
would be better. Lets just hope that those women who did
strip were good looking, shave their legs and their pits
and are not 50 pounds overweight like many of the lard
butts who cross Rt. 5. Some citizens called in
complaints to the Sheriff's Department, which was busy
with real bandits, especially the one-armed bandits and
really had to rely on the College cops to do their duty.
With all of the potheads at this school, one has to
wonder if they were really able to puff their magic
dragons in that land called Honah lee. Did
the students need a Bridge to Nowhere, courtesy of
Congressman Steny Hoyer, to cross the road naked, did
the naked students on bikes conform to traffic laws or
dart, weave and wind a blue STREAK through the colonial
capital of Maryland? Only The Shadow knows for sure!
Puff The Magic Dragon VIDEO
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Fatal Crash on Berry Road
Indian Head
woman killed in single car wreck
Maryland State Police report that on May 1st at about
10:57 am, Emergency Medical
Services and Troopers from the La Plata Barrack
responded to Westbound Maryland Route 228 at Bunker Hill
Road for a reported serious motor vehicle collision.
Upon arrival the investigation revealed a single vehicle
was traveling westbound at the above location. The
driver failed to drive within a single lane, and struck
a metal utility pole. The driver was pronounced
deceased on the scene. Speed is considered a factor,
investigation continues. The family members of the
deceased were notified. Trooper Sorenson is continuing
the investigation.
New York City congressman busted
for DWI in Va.
Drunk driver smashed into police
car, broke troopers neck
Southern Maryland Police Briefs
Editorial
Bell Motors Garage Deal is
Crooked; Fair Bid is Fair Way
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Comptroller Votes No on College
Insider Land Deal for Trustee
Baltimore Sun Report:
Comptroller and Treasurer leery of
sleazy deal by College
Maryland
Comptroller Peter Franchot at site of another sleazy
land deal, the Hackerman site, two years ago.
Franchot voted no this week to the purchase of St.
Mary's College trustee Mike O'Brien's land at inflated
prices by the college. While land values are dropping
elsewhere, the college is now paying O'Brien $800,000
for land he paid $320,000 for just three years ago,
proving that while the real estate business is tanking
for O'Brien, his pals in high places will bail him out
again. In 2003, O'Brien was given free rent on an
office building owned by St. Mary's County until the
sweetheart deal was made public. In the photo
above, Sen. Roy Dyson and former St. Mary's Commissioner
Robert Jarboe joined Linda Vallandingham in showing
Franchot a parcel of land that the Ehrlich
Administration tried to give to a developer for a song.
O'Brien was appointed to the college board by Ehrlich.
ST.
MARY'S TODAY photo
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Cedar Lane Resident
Leery of
Homeless Shelter Next to Old Folks Home
Lancaster has lawyer in tow as he
breaks rules against soliciting
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State of Denial
St. Mary's Teeters on $14 Million Tax Hike
Spending to be boosted by 4.6 % instead of being cut!
14.5 new employees, 33 new vehicles, raises for everyone
and a 20% increase in property taxes for
taxpayers....all while you try to figure out if you can
afford to buy gas, milk and if your retirement money is
disappearing....they are shelling out money for some
citizens to walk on trails, millions for another
swimming pool even though existing pool is
underutilized, more money for millionaires in the
Reverse Robin Hood money grab which has benefited
millionaires such as Sonny Burch, John Parlett and
Norton Dodge...MORE
and the board still
plans on spending $130,000 on a portable stage complete
with lights and sound system which would make an
excellent modern day hangman's gallows for the board
when citizens have had enough....
READER
FEEDBACK:
Dear Sir,
I just finished reading your
article in the STATE of DENIAL. Great article. How the
County Commissioners can look their constituents in the
face and ask for more tax dollars befuddles me. Keep up
the good work. Wouldn't it be great if during the
election times, we could get a clear message from those
running for office, just what their views were on the
tax situation in both the State and County--Not after
they get in office.
Ray Norris
Hollywood, Md.
Hiring leaps in public sector;
state, local and feds all bringing in new help!
No Sign of a Bottom for Declining
Home Prices
GM posts 3.3 billion loss in 1st
quarter
Feds say economy not in a
recession, just a deep dirty rut; drops interest rates
Was Rev. Wright Wrong for Hurting
Obama?
13 Lacrosse Players Suspended for
Prom Invite Written on Their Bare Butts
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Cops will conduct DWI Ethnic
Cleansing of Roadways
Not
enough manure?
Farmers may face a fertilizer
shortage
Leonardtown Mayor's Race:
Council Candidate Supports Norris;
Blasts Homeless Shelter Manager for Slamming Planning
Process
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Tiki Bar Nightcap Fatal Wreck Update
Biker was blitzed
SOLOMON'S
ISLAND --- The couple who were killed when the
motorcycle they were riding crashed off the side of
Rousby Hall Road two hours after the Tiki Bar closed on
the opening day of the season were both intoxicated,
according to toxicology reports from the Maryland State
Medical Examiner.
The operator of
the 2008 Suzuki motorcycle was Eugene Kay Jr., 37, of
Lusby and his passenger was Amanda Lorenzo, 28, of
Ashburn, Va. The bike was headed northbound on April
19th at about 1 am on Rousby Hall Road when it wrecked,
report police. Lorenzo was a teacher in Loudon County.
According to police, Kay's blood alcohol content was
nearly twice the legal limit at .19 while Lorenzo was
over the legal limit at .08.
Even though Lorenzo's intoxication was not illegal,
accepting a ride with a severely intoxicated driver
shows the danger of impairing judgment with big rum
drinks at the Tiki Bar or any other establishment and
not having a designated driver, who is sober.
Both Kay and Lorenzo had stamps from the Tiki Bar on
their hands when they were found dead on the side of the
road.
READER FEEDBACK:
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Big Business Backing Slots!
BALTIMORE
(April 29, 2008) -- The Maryland Chamber of Commerce is
coming out on the side of bringing slot machines
statewide to Maryland, joining the Maryland State
Teachers Association at urging voters to approve 15,000
slot machines at various locations. The motive for
the support of the business group is to hold down taxes
while the teachers are supporting the passage at
referendum in the fall as a way to increase funding for
education. The Maryland Chamber of Commerce
will make their announcement today in Baltimore when
Betty Buck, president of Buck Distributing, a Budweiser
beer distributor in Prince George's County, will issue a
statement at a press conference.
The Maryland Chamber of
Commerce is a non-profit coalition of 850 businesses who
employ more than 440,000 people in the state.
Give the taxpayer a break; St. Mary's Must Not Hike
TaxesIt’s not fair that
county and state government increase taxes when the
average citizen is on his or her knees pleading for
relief.
see this letter to the editor
Mother of drug dealer gets 2 years
for mortgage fraud; Ford case coming up
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$3 Million Fire Destroys New Car Showroom
A fire which
may have began with the hookup of a new computer system
just two days ago, according to an employee of the
Bayside Chevy and Toyota dealership in Prince Frederick,
may be the cause of the fire which ripped into the upper
floor of the two story showroom. Firefighters using
water and tools to get into closed ceilings and other
areas to get all the fire out damaged a half dozen new
vehicles in the showroom. The dealership is still
open and has plenty of stock to sell.
ST. MARY'S TODAY
photos
PRINCE
FREDERICK, MD. (April 27, 2008)—Right when new cars and
trucks are exactly selling like hotcakes, a Gigantic
Fire Sale may be the next blast of advertising coming
from Bayside Chevy and Toyota, like many dealers, known
for ads with flashing lights, bells and big letters.
This time they will be telling the truth for a change.
MORE
Coast Guard Makes Pickup from
Cruise Ship of Sick Passenger
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The Leonardtown Car Show brought in big crowds on an
overcast day on Sunday as the rain held off.
Right, is Susan Rush and Gary Lewis with their 1963
Rambler. Susan's father drove the car during the
movie JFK which was set in New Orleans. The car is
all original and still runs, a real steal. Money
was raised for local charities including Hospice and the
Optimist Club.
Left, to right, an old delivery truck, a classic Camaro,
a black 1965 Studebaker. A 1952 Hudson was displayed.
ST. MARY'S TODAY
photo
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Board Dead
Set to Steer St. Mary's Into Tax Hikes as
Perfect Storm of Economic Disaster Overtakes Nation
Bubba Deal for Bell
Motors as St. Mary's Rents Garage it Doesn't' Need;
Tommy Bell Would Be First to Raise Hell
Story
Baltimore City backs off from
third year of plan to cut property taxes due to loss of
revenue in recession economy
Speed, pot and more pot
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Police arrest two after couple
taking walk is robbed at gunpoint
Speedy STS Bus
This St.
Mary's transit system bus operator doesn't have to worry
about cost of fuel as the county pays for the fuel at
the county depot. Thus the speed of this bus on
Tuesday on Rt. 5 between Redgate and Leonardtown at 65
mph likely didn't worry the supervisors who were
notified. The speed limit is 50 mph and the bus
was speeding in the rain. St. Mary's County is
self-insured but pays premiums to Legit, a consortium of
local and municipal governments in Maryland.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
Save money on gas for off-duty use of police cars?
LEONARDTOWN
--- St. Mary's Sheriff's patrol cars are assigned, one
to an officer, for all of the 120 deputies on the
department and take home use is allowed. At prices
now pushing $4 a gallon, it may be time for the officers
to be charged for using the patrol cars on secondary
employment. Typically the police car engines run
for 5-8 hours providing air conditioning or heat for the
officer as they work part-time. Officers are
allowed to pump all the gas they want at no charge.
Departments across the nation are now switching to
charging for use of vehicles for part-time security
jobs. Of course, the engines could be turned off, but no
one dares tell the cops to do that, as it might earn
some smart ass a ticket.
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
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Man shot dead in Love Triangle was child sex offender
LEXINGTON PARK (April 22, 2008) --- Thomas John
Saunders, of Hermanville was on the child sex offender
registry at the time of his being murdered by an angry
ex-husband in a shooting two weeks ago at the St. Mary's
Landing Apartments in Lexington Park.
Those who save lives at Trauma Center to be honored
CALIFORNIA --- A
young teen who had sneaked out of his parents house to
visit his girlfriend ran across Rt. 235 against the
light even though pedestrian crossing signals were in
place and as he dashed across the southbound lanes of
the highway, he was struck by a motorist who never saw
the kid coming in the darkness. The motorist
stopped, moved his car back to block traffic from
running over the kid, pulled a blanket out of his trunk
to cover the boy and called for help. The
motorists actions included keeping others on the scene
from moving the kid while waiting for rescue and fire
personnel to respond. The boy was flown from the
scene and taken to the Baltimore Shock Trauma Unit and
once he was there, a highly skilled crew of lifesavers
went to work saving this kid's life....MORE
The
Philadelphia Story: Hillary Wins!
Fox first at calling race for Clinton
10 point smackdown for
Hillary as women rally; bitter pill for Obama to swallow
over guns and God remark
Pennsylvania election
results by county
Price hikes leading to rice
hoarding
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Storms rip thru Waldorf and Brandywine
WALDORF (April
21, 2008) These homes on Northgate Place in
Waldorf were being given emergency repairs and covered
with tarps by Waldorf and Accokeek volunteer
firefighters on Sunday afternoon after a series of
serious thunderstorms ripped through the area, downing
trees and ripping open roofs. ST. MARY'S TODAY
photos by Matthew Ivancie
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NBC 4 Report:
residents clean up in Waldorf and
Chillum
Letter to the Editor:
Homeless Shelter Helped Me Get My
Life Back on Track
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Driver flown to trauma
center in critical condition in first wreck of the week
LUSBY --
Calvert Sheriff's officers report that on Monday, April
21 at 12:15 a.m. units from the Calvert County Sheriff’s
Office responded to Mill Bridge Road in the area of
Turner Road in Lusby for a report of a motor vehicle
crash. Investigation showed that a 1996 Honda Civic
driven by David Scott Campbell, 19 of Lusby, had crashed
into a tree. The vehicle was traveling east on Mill
Bridge Road when it left the roadway and struck a tree.
Campbell, the only occupant of the vehicle, was
extricated by members of the Solomon's Volunteer Fire
Dept., Hollywood Vol. Fire Dept., St. Leonard Vol. Fire
Dept. and Prince Frederick Vol. Rescue Squad. He was
transported to Washington Hospital Center via Med-Star
with life threatening injuries. The investigation is
being handled by Cpl. Richard Wilson of the CCSO Crash
Reconstruction Unit.
Opening
Day for St. Mary's Babe Ruth League Season
The baseball season always starts of with the big first
pitch. This year the superintendent of St Marys County
Public Schools
Dr. Michael Martirano had the honor. He threw the first pitch to Tyler
Burroughs a catcher from the new SOMD Blue Crabs 13 Prep
Team.
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St. Mary's Board Must Act to Cut
Spending & Save Jobs
Two airliners hit by lightning as storm passes thru
region
Live Coverage of Pope at Yankee
Stadium
CNN commentator calls Red Chinese
'same goons and thugs'
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More from the Dungeon of Dangerous Dave,
otherwise known as the 911 Center in Leonardtown...it is
reported that when most all of the employees of the
center expressed a desire to quit en masse as the joint
ain't no fun to work at anymore, Dangerous Dave said he
would have them all locked up for quitting their
emergency jobs...remember, only The Shadow knows for
sure...
Keystone Kops Ride Again...commentary
by Carlleen Cairns
America's Best Small Town Mayor
Opposed in Re-Election
Leonardtown
Mayor J. Harry Norris, left, with Senator Roy Dyson,
viewing the proposed Town waterfront park from Breton
Bay. Right, the park nearing completion.
ST. MARY'S TODAY
photos
LEONARDTOWN
--- After leading the Town of Leonardtown through an
unprecedented period of growth and renewal, the guiding
light of that transformation, Mayor J. Harry "Chipper"
Norris has an opponent for reelection. Norris, who
has operated an appraisal firm for the past 30 years in
addition to his duties as the town's mayor is being
opposed by Harry S. "Lanny" Lancaster. Lancaster
has a background as the local office manager for the
Catholic Cemeteries and for the past 10 years as manager
of the homeless shelter in Lexington Park.
Lancaster's affiliations with various developers may
play a role in his decision to seek the job and to
proclaim that he isn't interested in any salary.
MORE
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On The Water
Casting a Bay net
Around
the Chesapeake
Boats Galore!
Southern Maryland enjoys the most
beautiful waterways of the world,
with
the Potomac, St. Mary's, Wicomico
and Patuxent Rivers and the best
fishing
and sailing of the Chesapeake Bay.
The vessels that have
plied these
waters over the years
will be featured here:
ST. MARY'S TODAY photo
The Tall Ship
Kalmar Nyckel
This ship visited in
Washington two
years ago and is
shown heading
south
on the
Potomac River
near Coles Point.
The ship is
an
educational vessel
based in Delaware.
Lighthouses of
Maryland
A glimpse at some old lighthouses,
some of which no longer stand, one of
which, at St. Clements Island,
will soon
be rebuilt, will be shown here.
Maryland
Government
How to apply
to be appointed a
Notary Public in the State of Maryland
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