SALISBURY, Md. - Salisbury is holding a CSAFE the city council invite residents from the Church Street/Doverdale area to the meeting.
     They will discuss their safety and crime concerns, as well as the "National Night Out" scheduled for August 3rd.
    Wednesday's meeting is at the Calloway/Hickory Apartments.
 

     VIRGINIA - Lawmakers in Virginia signed off on their budget Sunday evening.
     The General Assembly overwhelmingly passed the 70 billion dollar plan.
      In the budget though, there were some tough choices.
     Public education took a 250 million dollar cut.
     It could also have cuts to Medicaid reimbursements, unless the state gets federal funding.

REHOBOTH BEACH, De. - A number of curve balls were thrown at this year's Lewes Polar Bear Plunge, but that was not going to stop this year's Polar Bears, including Governor Jack Markell.
Markell said "It's an inspiring group of people. Thousands of Delawareans out here helping their neighbors, and if they can do it, I can certainly enjoy it too. It was a lot of fun."
Governor Markell and WMDT Meteorologist Travis Michels joined over 23 hundred other swimmers in the 19th edition of the plunge.
The Polar Bears raised over half a million dollars for the Delaware Special Olympics.
The founder of the Lewes Polar Bears, Dave Fredericks said running into the 40 degree water will pay off in the summer. Fredericks said, "I always tell people, do the plunge and then go to the Special Olympics in mid-summer, and see the track and field and the bocce ball and the swimming, and then you'll know it's worth it."
Governor Markell said he will be back again next year to take the plunge for the third time.

PRIME HOOK BEACH, Del. - Residents in this community near the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge tend to find themselves isolated after heavy storms, but it's not entirely because of their location.
Their ordeal began in 2006, following Tropical Storm Ernesto. The storm opened a breach in the dunes at Fowlers Beach. Following storms have created more breaches, which residents say have flooded the refuge with salt water. That salt water is flooding their yards and undermining the road, causing it to crumble at the edges, and even causing a 3-foot-deep sinkhole that was just recently patched up by DelDOT.
This sequence of storms began with the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida in November, followed by the blizzards in December and February before the most recent storm on March 12-13. Rick Allan described his ordeal as he went to get groceries during the November storm.
"There was snow and ice on both sides of the road, but, you know, I thought it was safe," Allan said. "I came back an hour later, and it was like ice flows across the road, and I'm there saying hey, it looks like I'm not gonna be able to get home for a couple of days." He had to call a friend to let him into the private community next door and leave his car there until the water receded.
On March 14, water was still flowing across the road in several areas. One part even had water completely covering one lane. Residents say they're stuck in their homes for days at a time when a storm comes through, waiting for the water to go down. Allan says that future storms will continue to damage the road.
"The last storm severely eroded it. I think we all expect the next storm to make it basically impassable. Once it's impassable it has to be repaired, there's no way to get out," Allan said.
The biggest concern for Allan and his neighbors is what might happen in the event of an emergency. They fear that help won't be able to get through. John Chertea is worried about what will happen to the road not if, but when a bigger storm comes through.
"Since November, with Ida, and then the Hanukkah Day storm, and now this recent storm, which was very mild, and the one 2 weeks ago, and these have been mild storms, our road has deteriorated further. It's just a matter of time 'til a major storm comes along, and washes the whole road away," Chertua said.

MARYLAND - It appears more and more likely that former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich is preparing to announce that he wants a rematch against Martin O'Malley.
Several Republican sources have said that Ehrlich will announce his candidacy as early as March 25.
Ehrlich has been calling potential donors for the last two weeks, and has set a fundraising goal of one million dollars by the end of this month.

WASHINGTON D.C. - While lawmakers continue to debate health care reform, the president is turning focus to another system he also feels is flatlining.

In his weekly address, President Obama said, "lost in the news of the week was a headline that ought to be a source of concern for every American. It said, 'Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education'."

The Obama administration has unveil its plan to change the No Child Left Behind Law. Instead of making sure students are meeting standards, President Obama wants schools to make sure students are ready for college or a career. Many education groups are already praising the proposals.

LEWES, De. - The Delaware pediatrician accused of molesting more than 100 children is due back in court later this month.

In February, Dr. Earl Bradley was indicted on 471 felony counts in the alleged sexual abuse of his patients.

His arraignment is scheduled for March 24th.

The State Attorney General's office said Bradley is required to appear, either in person or by video phone.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bill establishing an abortion-rights license plate is headed to Gov. Bob McDonnell, who has said he doesn't support the organization that would receive money from the plates.

The Senate voted 22-15 and the House 64-30 for a bill that would create a "Trust Women/Respect Choice" license plate. After the first 1,000 plates are sold, $15 from each $25 plate would go to Planned Parenthood, which provides medical and reproductive care to more than 30,000 Virginians.

Supporters had threatened to sue if legislators rejected the plate because last year they passed a "Choose Life" plate with proceeds going to anti-abortion pregnancy centers. Federal courts have said states can't favor one viewpoint over another.

McDonnell has 30 days to sign, amend or veto the bill.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - There are new doubts about the story told by a California man who said his Toyota Prius sped out of control on a highway as he tried desperately to bring it to a stop.

A memo prepared for a congressional panel says experts who've
looked at the car just don't think it's possible for that to have happened. The memo says that each time the technician floored the gas pedal and hit the brake at the same time, the car shut off as it is designed to do.

The man's wife says he stands by his story and she wants people to leave them alone now.
 

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democrats' chief vote counter in the House says that right now there aren't enough votes to pass President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.
But Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina says he's confident that the legislation will pass. He says the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress have gotten to a point where there's a way to send the measure to the president's desk for his signature.
Clyburn tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that "a comfort level" has been reached among the House, Senate and White House on details about the sweeping legislation. But he concedes that House supporters don't have the necessary votes right now.
House Democratic leaders are pressing for a vote on their bill as early as this coming week.

SALISBURY, Md. - A Salisbury man allegedly forced his way into a woman's home, pistol whipped her, then stole several items from her home.
Jhamile Bowman is now facing multiple charges including armed robbery and assault.
Authorities say the victim needed 23 stitches on her face.
According to court records, the victim was able to led police to Bowman after finding his picture on Myspace.
He is being held on $200-thousand dollars bond.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - In the wake of the Sarah Foxwell tragedy, Maryland lawmakers have passed several bills that will crack down on sex offenders.
The House Judiciary Committee condensed 38 sex offender bills into 5.
The bills cover everything from longer prison sentences to more vigilant tracking.
However, child abuse experts stress that laws can only go so far because most victims do know their attackers.

GEORGETOWN, Del. - Tough times are calling for creative solution from local governments to fill their budget deficits. Sussex County just might've found a way to do just that.
On March 13, the county government auctioned off a dozen of its used cars and trucks, plus 8 emergency generators, to raise money for its general fund. The county said in a press release that all the equipment is surplus and no longer fits its needs. Deputy County Administrator Hal Godwin said that the government was also looking to relieve itself of the maintenance costs. Godwin said maintaining the vehicles cost 43 cents per mile, at 12,000 to 15,000 miles per year.
For many, finding a good used car is difficult, so they took advantage of the chance to buy vehicles from the local government.
"I know the state maintains their vehicles pretty well, so that's always a good deal, when you're looking for something used," said Heather Collins of Milford. Even with all the vehicles having over 100,000 miles on them, many were still in good working condition. The rainy weather did nothing to turn the crowd away either, according to county officials.
"We have registered over 70 bidders for 12 automobiles and 8 generators to be sold today, and with the weather, we're really impressed with the turnout. I believe that there's quite an interest in these vehicles," said Godwin. He was right, as over 100 people crowded into the lobby of the Emergency Operations Center to place their bids on the vehicles, which ranged in model year from 1994 to 2003.
With Sussex County Sheriff Eric Swanson as auctioneer, the 12 cars and trucks were all sold off in just over 20 minutes. Some used-car dealers were among the bidders, as they were looking to increase their inventory. One blamed the lack of used cars and trucks on last year's federal CARS program.
"Used cars are very hard to come by that are saleable," said Richard Addington, a used-car dealer from Milford. "Cash for Clunkers took about 700,000 vehicles off the roads, and we're still hurting from that because a lot of the vehicles were not clunkers."
The auction raised over $39,000 for the county's general fund.

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware's Office of Highway Safety is planning increased patrols for drunken drivers on St. Patrick's Day.
St. Patrick's Day is Wednesday, but officials will have extra patrols Saturday as well as Wednesday and next weekend. Saturday is the day bars in Wilmington plan an annual St. Patrick's Day party.
Police plan to stop cars coming out of the area to check for drunk driving.
The highway safety office says national statistics show that in
2008 a total of 50 people died in traffic crashes involving a drunk driver on St. Patrick's Day.
 

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) - A man who with his wife murdered a couple in Ocean City in 2002 has filed from divorce from her on the grounds she is a "convicted felon."
Benjamin Sifrit has filed for divorce from Erika Sifrit. Both are in prison after being convicted of murdering Joshua Ford and Martha Crutchley of Fairfax, Va.
Acting as his own attorney, Sifrit cited Maryland code that says a court can grant a divorce on the grounds of a conviction of a felony or misdemeanor where the person has been sentenced to serve three years in prison.
Erika Sifrit is serving life in prison plus 20 years. Benjamin Sifrit, who has said his wife murdered the couple, is currently serving 38 years in prison.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A bill establishing an abortion-rights license plate is headed to Governor Bob McDonnell, who has said he doesn't support the organization that would receive money from the plates.
The Senate voted 22-15 and the House 64-30 for a bill that would create a "Trust Women/Respect Choice" license plate. After the first 1,000 plates are sold, $15 from each $25 plate would go to Planned Parenthood, which provides medical and reproductive care to more than 30,000 Virginians.
Supporters had threatened to sue if legislators rejected the plate because last year they passed a "Choose Life" plate with proceeds going to anti- abortion pregnancy centers. Federal courts have said states can't favor one viewpoint over another. McDonnell has 30 days to sign, amend or veto the bill.
 

FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's wife has been transferred out of a Virginia hospital's intensive care unit and is improving after she was seriously injured in an accident on an interstate highway near Washington.
Jon Summers, a spokesman for the senator, says Landra Reid's condition was upgraded on Saturday to good, two days after a tractor-trailer rear-ended the minivan she and their daughter were riding in on I-95.
Landra Reid underwent surgery Friday to stabilize her broken neck. Summers says doctors at Inova Fairfax Hospital have indicated that the 69-year-old is on a fast track for recovery.
He says there's no update on when she'll be discharged.
Landra Reid also suffered a broken back and broken nose. Doctors say she is not at risk of paralysis.
 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Governor Bob McDonnell has requested federal disaster assistance for the state and several localities hit hard by two winter storms last month.
McDonnell is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for damage to public infrastructure, debris removal and related emergency services in 14 localities. He's seeking reimbursement for those items as well as snow removal for 26 additional localities.
McDonnell also is asking FEMA to consider the impact in an additional 43 localities that did not meet the snowfall threshold, but had significant snow removal costs.
Some parts of northern and northwestern Virginia got more than three feet of snow in early February, then an additional five to 15 inches days later. Other areas also got heavy snow.
 

SALISBURY, Md. - In a time where people are struggling to find work and the streets are no longer as safe as they used to be, the city of Salisbury has received nearly $7.8 million in stimulus funding from the federal and state governments to fix its most pressing issues.
Salisbury's public works and police departments received 9 of the 14 grants awarded to the city. The projects cover everything from tracking crime trends to a new water tower.
Two grants awarded to the police will provide over $800 thousand to hire, train, pay, and provide equipment and benefits for 4 new police officers over the next 3 years. However, Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton says that putting more officers on the streets isn't the be-all and end-all solution to the city's growing crime problem.
"It's not a matter of having enough officers, in my opinion. It's a matter of allocating the resources correctly," Ireton said. Another grant the police received was for a geographical information system, which will help them track crimes when and where they happen, to determine how to deploy their resources. However, fighting crime isn't the only area that needs help in town.
"Salisbury's infrastructure is always going to be playing catch-up, there's no doubt about it. Our growth has not paid for growth in this community, and our infrastructure has been sorely neglected over the last, say, 30 years," Ireton said.
One major public works project will increase the city's drinking water supply. A nearly $2.1 million grant will help the city build a second water tower to satisfy state and federal drinking water requirements. Ireton did say that not every project needed a big grant.
"Even something little, like the Fitzwater Street drain repairs, things of that nature, those are things that are keeping people employed, and that is what, that's what the premise of the stimulus package was," Ireton said. When he appeared on CNBC's "Sqauwk On The Street," in January, Ireton said that Salisbury would be slightly delayed in terms of seeing an economic recovery because of its location.
All the details on the projects can be found on the city's website, under the ARRA Stimulus Update link.

EASTON, Md. - An Easton man is days away from being deployed to Afghanistan.
He puts his life on the line to help make places safer for others.
A job that is similar to the film that won Best Picture at the Oscars.
The Hurt Locker follows a US Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal team as they disarm bombs in Iraq.
"It gave everybody a small glimpse into the EOD World," said Clint Henker, a real-life EOD tech.
Henker is being deployed to Afghanistan next week.
Clint will be working for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers demining and removing bombs.
"I feel as a human being that I need to do something to help other human beings in a war torn country to make it safer for them," said Clint.
Clint has been deployed before and doesn't see his job as dangerous.
"We live our lives day in and day out with the aspect everything you do is safety first," said Clint.
And although supportive, his wife of over 11 years says each time it's hard to say goodbye.
"We're just trying to spend as much time as possible together," said Mary Ann Henker. "You never know what's going to happen over there so you really have to prepare that these could be your final days together."
Clint's deployment has been moved up a week and he heads out of Easton on Sunday.
He will be in Afghanistan for six months.
 

MILFORD, Del. - A Milford man is accused of assaulting his girlfriend. Delaware State Police say 41-year-old Richard Boyd was arguing with her when he grabbed a large kitchen knife. The alleged victim says her 19-year-old son heard the fight and tried to wrestle the knife away from Boyd. During the incident, she was reportedly cut by the knife. The woman's daughter called 911 and all three fled. Boyd reportedly chased them, but they were able to run back in the home and lock him out. Police later arrested him. Boyd is now charged with Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Felony), Assault 2nd (Felony), 3 Counts of Aggravated Menacing (Felony), Possession of a Deadly Weapon by a Person Prohibited (Felony), 2 Counts of Terroristic Threatening (Misdemeanor), and Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Misdemeanor). Boyd was arraigned and committed to James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in lieu of $45,000 secured bail.

MILFORD, Del. - Just this week a teenager was arrested for allegedly bringing a gun onto school property. The State has a zero-tolerance policy concerning weapons in and around schools. But Delaware's School Discipline Task Force has been reviewing the policy. The Task Force recommended changes in January that would allow school officials more leeway to determine discipline on a case by case basis. The recommendations were made following the overturned expulsion of a 5th-grade student for bringing a knife to school to cut a cake.

SALISBURY, Md. - Fire crews were called to Flavors Italian Grill Friday morning in Salisbury. A chimney at the East Main Street business caught fire just after 10 AM. Police and firefighters had to block off Main Street as they battled the blaze. Both Main Street and the restaurant are open for business. Ironically, Flavors told the Fire Department they had been planning to clean the chimney on Saturday.

CALIFORNIA - Both federal investigators and engineers from Toyota are still trying to figure out what caused a Prius to accelerate out of control. Now officials say they have a similar report from a car that is not even included in Toyota's recall.
Ruth Heit drove the Camry in question. She says, "It just took off and it went over 80, I would say it was going over 90 . . . I was like freaking out . . . And he's yelling like 'What are you doing?' And I'm like going 'nothing!' It just like, it took off."
Heit says it happened when she put her Camry in cruise control. And she says it has happened four times since then. Toyota says they couldn't find anything wrong with the cruise control so they replaced the gas pedal for piece of mind. But that isn't giving the owners any reassurance. They say they are done with Toyota and have filed a complaint to get back the full price they paid for the car.

DALLAS (AP) - American Airlines says it's reviewing the newest
charges from the Federal Aviation Administration concerning alleged
maintenance problems.
The FAA is proposing nearly $800,000 in fines against American
for three incidents.
In the most serious case, the regulators say American operated a
plane without replacing a central air data computer. The FAA says
the plane flew 10 flights with a broken computer.
American has 30 days to respond.
The proposed fine is the latest in a series of penalties
American faces for maintenance violations.
An airline spokesman says American is "very proud" of its
safety record.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

WMDT 47 NEWS - Apple started taking pre-orders for the new iPad Friday morning. The iPad lets users surf the web, read e-books and watch videos on its nine-point-seven inch screen. It's being promoted as an alternative to smart phones and larger laptops. You can pre-order yours online now or wait until it hits stores April 3.

WMDT 47 NEWS - Avid twitter users can now let their followers know just where they are "tweeting" from. A new feature gives users the options of including a location with their messages. Locations won't be included unless users turn on the tracking tool. The technology can be turned off at any time.
Facebook is expected to join the trend soon.
Don't forget to follow WMDT 47 News on both Twitter and Facebook.

NEW YORK (AP) - Barbie and her signature hourglass figure are
getting the "Mad Men" treatment.
Mattel, Lionsgate and AMC announced a partnership on Wednesday
to create four dolls in the likeness of characters from the
influential, Emmy-winning show set in a fashionable, 1960s ad
agency.
The Betty Draper doll will wear a floral dress - with pearls and
pumps to match - just like the suburban housewives of the day, and
office bombshell Joan Holloway has a purple skirt suit and a pen
necklace. Don Draper and Roger Sterling both get trim suits, ties
and pocketsquares.
The collectable dolls, made of porcelain-like Silkstone, will be
available in July with a suggested retail price of $74.95. Sketches
will be distributed inside Season 3 DVD sets on sale later this
month.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - Allstate Insurance will pay more than
$428,000 in refunds to Delaware customers who didn't get defensive
driving discounts they were entitled to.
Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart announced Thursday
that more than 2,400 Allstate customers who completed the state's
defensive driving courses will get the cash.
State insurance department officials say they asked Allstate to
perform an audit after customers complained that their monthly
premiums hadn't been reduced by the state-mandated 10 percent to 15
percent.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

MILLSBORO, Del. - A Millsboro man has been sentenced to death for the 2007 killing of his fiancee. Forty-seven-year-old Emmett Taylor the third was convicted of beating Stephanie Mumford to death, just days before their planned wedding.

"Emmett Taylor's conviction and today's sentence ensures that justice for Stephanie Mumford will be served," Attorney General Biden stated.

Last October, Taylor was convicted of Murder 1st Degree, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony, and Abuse of a Corpse. On November 5, 2009 the jury voted 11 to 1 for the death sentence. Today a Judge agreed Taylor should be put to death by lethal injection.

OCEAN CITY, Md. - A Selbyville man has been found guilty of distribution of crack cocaine in Ocean City. The States Attorney's office says 27-year-old Deshawn Handy was sentenced to five years in prison. The Ocean City Police Narcotics Units say after a two-month investigation they made several drug purchases and arrested Handy after a traffic stop. He was originally arrested for drug possession and distribution of crack cocaine.

SALISBURY, Md. - A Salisbury man remains in jail after an alleged assault on a neighbor.
The March 10 incident happened on the 500 block of Decatur Avenue. That's where the alleged victim says 18-year-old Arise Delva came up to his front porch, grabbed him by the neck and hit him in the head with a metal pipe. Delva proceeded to break into the victim's home and steal a camera before Salisbury police eventually caught up with him.
Delva has been charged with armed robbery, theft of less than $100, and multiple counts of burglary and assault. Ironically, up until late February, Delva was scheduled to appear in court on March 12 to answer to multiple charges of drug possession with intent to distribute and firearm possession.

NEW CASTLE, Del. - The pedestrian killed in a fatal car crash on the night of March 7 has been identified as 52-year-old Joseph Kearney.

The crash happened on Delaware Route 13 at the intersection of Delaware Route 273.

Officials say that a 1995 Nissan Maxima was traveling on Rt. 13 southbound in the far right lane approaching Rt. 273. Kearney was walking on the east side of Rt. 13 traveling southbound as well.
Kearney stepped directly into the path of Rt. 13 southbound traffic and attempted to cross the road where the driver of the Nissan was unable to avoid collision and struck Kearney. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

No one in the Nissan Maxima was injured from the collision.

SALISBURY, Md. - Congressman Frank Kratovil and Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin say the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico regional airport will be receiving a $1,175,000 grant from the Department of Transportation.

Officials say the funds will be used for extending the runway and making traffic safer for residents of Wicomico County and those who travel to the region.

"Improving both the safety and capacity of the Salisbury Airport means easier access to the Eastern Shore for tourism and commerce, providing a shot in the arm for the local economy," says Congressman Kratovil.

"I will continue to work to work to ensure that the Salisbury-Ocean City Wicomico Regional Airport has a voice in Washington" says Sen. Barbara Mikulski.

MILFORD, Del. - A 17-year-old Lincoln boy was arrested after Police say a handgun was found in his car in the parking lot of Milford High School.

According to officials, the arrest came about after the school administration received a tip that there was a gun in a vehicle in the parking lot. Police say there is no evidence that the accused had any intentions of using the weapon on school grounds or anywhere else at this time.

The accused was charged with possession of a weapon in a safe school zone and carrying a concealed deadly weapon. He was arraigned at Kent County Family Court and released to a parent on a $1000 unsecured bond.