Wednesday, January 06, 2016

Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016

Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/01/talk-on-carroll-county-founding-father.html

The life and times of Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell (1810-1896,) a newspaper publisher and advocate for the creation of Carroll County in January 1837, will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016 by former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.

Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell was a Carroll County founding father who lived from 1810 to 1896.

Colonel Longwell was a newspaper publisher. At the age of 23, Longwell established the Carrolltonian newspaper in 1833 and proceeded to play a leading role in the formation of Carroll County out of parts of Frederick and Baltimore Counties, in January 1837 - and took an active part in all of its affairs. He became widely known as a civic and financial leader in the county.

In 1842 he established a farm just outside of town, north of Westminster and began construction of a huge mansion home on his estate he called “Emerald Hill.” He was elected State Senator in 1850 and 1871; president of Baltimore and Reisterstown Turnpike in 1858; was a director of the Union National Bank and later served as the bank president 39 years from 1857 to 1896. He also served as a Carroll County Commissioner.

Longwell also helped establish the Westminster English and Mathematical Academy, the West End Academy and the Westminster Female Institute; and served as a board trustee for Western Maryland College.

Col. Longwell will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016.

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.

@GraceLutheran21 https://twitter.com/GraceLutheran21 gracelc.org

@CarrCoHistory https://twitter.com/CarrCoHistory Carroll County Md Historical Society

@CarrollCoMD https://twitter.com/CarrollCoMD Carroll County Md government

Dayhoff presentations, Historical Society of Carroll Co, Dayhoff writing essays, #amwriting, Dayhoff writing essays history, History, History Carroll Co Jan 19 1837, History Carroll Co,

#amwriting, Dayhoff presentations, Dayhoff writing essays, Dayhoff writing essays history, Historical Society of Carroll Co, History, History Carroll Co, History Carroll Co Jan 19 1837

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Dayhoff&target=adv_article

Carroll County Times: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Kevin+Dayhoff&target=article

Westminster Patch: http://patch.com/users/kevin-e-dayhoff?page=1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/
Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/

See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ or http://kevindayhoffart.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/ or http://www.westgov.net/ = www.kevindayhoff.org Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net Explore Carroll: www.explorecarroll.com The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com

I.D.F- Sayeret Units (documentary)

commando unit, used mainly to obtain strategic intelligence behind enemy lines and to perform hostage-rescue missions on foreign soil. It is directly subordinate to the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN). Modeled after Britain's Special Air Service, it is known by Israelis as the most elite unit (above all) in the IDF.

Shayetet 13 - The naval commando unit, equivalent to the US Navy SEALs or British Special Boat Service. Also tasked with maritime hostage-rescue missions. Part of the Israeli Navy. Founded in 1948 by former members of the Palyam, the naval branch of the Haganah.

Sayeret Shaldag - Founded in 1974 by several former Sayeret Matkal veterans, it is the Israeli Air Force's commando unit, specializing in forward air control, aerial & special reconnaissance, and target designation outside of Israel's borders.

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Tuesday, January 05, 2016

Netanyahu at War on Frontline

@frontlinepbs Netanyahu at War on Frontline #netanyahuatwar is must see objectively reported history of Bibi v Obama

According to a Tweet by PBS Frontline, "Did you miss tonight's 2-hour special report 'Netanyahu at War?' Watch online at any time: https://t.co/YnO4wYcjqT https://t.co/MMwTiwABAJ "

Kevin Dayhoff Art: Last Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 - I had breakfast on an airplane – flying Southwest Airlines.

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2016/01/last-sunday-jan-3-2016-i-had-breakfast.html?m=1

Last Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 - I had breakfast on an airplane – flying Southwest Airlines.

I like flying Southwest; however flying sure is harder than it used to be. Southwest continues to be a bright spot in an otherwise bleak and barren customer service landscape.

Flying used to be part of the adventure. Today, flying is an endurance contest to be tolerated with gritted teeth. I wonder why it keeps getting worse instead of better?

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2016/01/last-sunday-jan-3-2016-i-had-breakfast.html?m=1

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Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/ http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/

New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

Scribd Kevin Dayhoff: http://www.scribd.com/kdayhoff

Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff

Kevin Dayhoff's YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/kevindayhoff

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff

Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems: http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/

Gizmo's: http://www.gizmosart.com/dayhoff.html

Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art,artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalistsand journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maioremDei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson:“That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!”- See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Theassemblage of this website is from multiple sources -

http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2004/01/the-assemblage-of-this-website-is-from.html

Sunday, January 03, 2016

Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an Independent MP in Rajya Sabha from Bangalore, Karnataka

Retrieved Jan. 3, 2016 http://www.rajeev.in/pages/About_Rajeev.aspx

Rajeev Chandrasekhar is an Independent MP in Rajya Sabha from Bangalore, Karnataka, elected for a second term in 2012, unopposed and unanimously supported by all major political parties. He is, however, not a conventional MP. Son of a senior Air Force officer born in Ahmedabad, Rajeev secured his Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology before moving to Illinois Institute of Technology in US where he did his Master's in Computer Science, and then to Harvard University for an Advanced Management Programme Degree.

Hand-picked by Vinod Dham - the father of the Pentium chip - to work at Intel after his graduation from Illinois Institute of Technology, Rajeev was a member of the architecture team in Silicon Valley that invented the 486 chip and later, Intel's signature Pentium chip.

He chased his entrepreneurial dream when he returned to India in the early 90s. In 1994, being one of the earliest to see the potential of cellular phones in the Indian market, Rajeev founded BPL Mobile, giving the country its first and largest world-class telecom network. Rajeev is known as the poster boy of India’s telecom revolution and is widely recognised for his role in the development of the now thriving telecom sector.

In 2005, he set up Jupiter Capital, with a vision to foray into businesses of tomorrow in emerging new markets of globalizing economy of India… http://www.rajeev.in/pages/About_Rajeev.aspx

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Md. State Trooper Struck By Driver Who Failed To Move Over

The penalty of the move-over law is not enough and it needs to be enforced.

The move over law is legislating what should otherwise, simply be, common sense; but in my limited experience, working along the side of the road in an emergency response these days is nuts. In my experience, people drive-by at high rates of speed, blow the horn and give you the finger.

The penalty of the move-over law is not enough and it needs to be enforced. Increasingly, if folks do not move over and slow down, more roads simply need to be shut down in an emergency response.

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According to the East Coast 911 Incident Alerts:

Md. State Trooper Struck By Driver Who Failed To Move Over

Posted by: EC911703 Louie | on January 2, 2016

http://ec911.org/md-state-trooper-struck-by-driver-who-failed-to-move-over/

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A Maryland state trooper is spending the start of the year fighting for his life. He was struck by a driver who failed to move over like the law requires. The law is clear–move over for any stopped police or fire vehicles–but this latest accident shows many drivers are just not doing that. Maryland State Trooper Tristen Phillip is badly hurt and rushed to Shock Trauma after being struck by a driver on New Year’s Eve. His patrol car was rear-ended while he stopped on the shoulder of I-95 south to help a stranded driver in Howard County. Phillip is the latest of several officers struck in Maryland, even though state law requires vehicles to move over one lane if a police or fire vehicle is pulled over on the side of the road... http://ec911.org/md-state-trooper-struck-by-driver-who-failed-to-move-over/

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According to a release by the Maryland State Police on December 31, 2015:

Trooper Struck While Assisting Disabled Motorist On I-95 December 31, 2015

http://news.maryland.gov/msp/2015/12/31/trooper-struck-while-assisting-disabled-motorist-on-i-95/

(Elkridge, MD) A Maryland State Trooper sustains injuries after his patrol car was rear ended by a passing motorist while assisting a disabled motorist this afternoon.

The trooper is identified as Trooper Tristen Phillip, 27, assigned to patrol duties at the Waterloo Barrack. He has been a member of the Maryland State Police for two years. Trooper Phillip was inside his marked patrol car on the right shoulder of southbound I-95 assisting a family with their disabled vehicle.

The driver who struck Trooper Phillip’s vehicle is identified as Rodney Irons, Jr., 31, of the 10,000 block of Inwood Avenue in Silver Spring. Irons was driving a black Dodge Stratus. Upon further investigation, troopers on the scene discovered Irons was driving without a driver’s license. Irons was transported by ambulance to Howard County General Hospital. Charges are pending.

The passengers in the disabled vehicle are identified as Ellen Pell, 72, the driver and Melvin Pell, 73, the front seat passenger. Mr. and Mrs. Pell, of Wilmington Delaware were the only the occupants in the disabled vehicle and refused medical treatment on scene.

The Maryland State Police Crash Team is conducting the investigation on this incident. The preliminary investigation indicates that shortly after 1:30 p.m. today, Trooper Phillip was dispatched to assist a disabled motorist on the right shoulder of southbound I-95, north of Route 100 in Howard County.

Trooper Phillip was operating a marked State Police patrol car and was parked on the shoulder with his emergency lights activated. He was on the scene for approximately an hour before Irons veered off I-95, onto the right shoulder, striking Trooper Phillip’s patrol car from behind. A chain reaction occurred resulting in the trooper’s patrol car striking the disabled vehicle.

Trooper Phillip was transported by ambulance to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center for treatment. Irons was taken to Howard County General Hospital by ambulance.

Troopers from the Waterloo Barrack responded to the scene. State Highway Administration was on scene assisting with lane closures. The Maryland State Police Crash Team investigation is continuing. Charges have not been filed at this time.

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NY Times: Many See I.R.S. Fines as More Affordable Than Insurance - By ABBY GOODNOUGH JAN. 3, 2016

Many See I.R.S. Fines as More Affordable Than Insurance - By ABBY GOODNOUGH JAN. 3, 2016

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/04/us/many-see-irs-fines-as-more-affordable-than-insurance.html?ribbon-ad-idx=15&rref=us&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&pgtype=article

[...]

Two years after the Affordable Care Act began requiring most Americans to have health insurance, 10.5 million who are eligible to buy coverage through the law’s new insurance exchanges were still uninsured this fall, according to the Obama administration.

[....]

Susan Reardon, 61, of Kalamazoo, Mich., said she was leaning toward going uninsured this year. She calculated that she would have to spend more than $12,000, including premiums of nearly $500 a month and a $6,850 deductible, to get anything beyond preventive benefits from the cheapest exchange plan available to her.

Ms. Reardon, whose husband is old enough to be covered by Medicare, said she would rather pay out of pocket for the drugs she takes for fibromyalgiaand the handful of doctor appointments she tends to need each year.

If something catastrophic happens, she said, “I feel like it’s better just to die.”

As for the tax penalty, which could approach $1,500 for her?

“Come and get me,” Ms. Reardon said.

[...]

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Saudi Arabia breaks off diplomatic relations with Iran

Iran warns of ‘divine vengeance’; Saudi Arabia breaks relations By Liz Sly January 3, 2016

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/saudi-arabias-execution-of-cleric-ignites-fury-in-iran/2016/01/03/6d8c1584-b205-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-world%252Bnation

BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran on Sunday amid the furor that erupted over the execution by the Saudi authorities of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubair told reporters in Riyadh that the Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia had been given 48 hours to leave the country, citing concerns that Tehran’s Shiite government was undermining the security of the Sunni kingdom.

Saudi Arabian diplomats had already departed Iran after angry mobs trashed and burned the Saudi embassy in Tehran overnight Saturday, in response to the execution of Sheikh Nimr Baqr al-Nimr earlier in the day... https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/saudi-arabias-execution-of-cleric-ignites-fury-in-iran/2016/01/03/6d8c1584-b205-11e5-9388-466021d971de_story.html?wpisrc=al_alert-COMBO-world%252Bnation

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Boston Globe reporters and editors delivered newspapers on Sunday.

Don Surber: Boston Globe sets its minimum wage at $0.00 an hou...

http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2016/01/boston-globe-sets-its-minimum-wage-at.html

Boston Globe sets its minimum wage at $0.00 an hour - Don Surber at Don Surber - 4 hours ago

To CNN, it is the feel-good story of the New Year. Boston Globe reporters and editors delivered newspapers on Sunday. If you're a subscriber to the Boston Globe, the person who delivered your Sunday paper might have been the same person who wrote part of it. Fed up after nearly a week of widespread delivery problems, dozens of reporters and editors at the Globe worked until dawn Sunday morning to deliver thousands of copies of the paper. The Globe said it was a "small gesture to show our Globe customers that we are working hard" to address the problems. Managing editors, politica... more »

[...]

Management screwed up. It switched delivery companies last week. The delivery company has 600 "contractors" -- people who are paid less than minimum wage to deliver papers. Management said this was done to improve service.

Service so improved that customers complained and cancellations piled up. On Saturday, newsroom staffers volunteered to do the job. Apparently, they worked for nothing, which is even less than "contractors" received.

http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2016/01/boston-globe-sets-its-minimum-wage-at.html

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Saturday, January 02, 2016

129 Law Enforcement Officer Line of Duty Deaths in 2015.

129 Law Enforcement Officer Line of Duty Deaths in 2015. Not sure when the protest marches begin, but you can be sure you will not read about it the mainstream media. Nevertheless, RIP Brothers and sisters - your sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Spaceship Earth Epcot Center Jan. 2, 2016 www.mydisneyexperince.com

Soarin’ “Take flight and feel the wind through your hair as you fly above breathtaking vistas of California.” Epcot

Soarin' "Take flight and feel the wind through your hair as you fly above breathtaking vistas of California." Epcot Center Sat., Jan. 2, 2016

The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Turtle Talk with Crush, Sat., Jan. 2, 2016 Epcot Center

“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments – there are consequences.”

"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments – there are consequences." Robert Green Ingersoll

Saturday, December 26, 2015

Frommers.com: Two New Passport Rules Elicit Anger – by Jason Cochran 12/15/2015

The U.S. Department has changed the rules for passports in two ways.

First, as of January 1, 2016, it will no longer allow you to add pages to your passport if you fill up the ones you have with visas and entry stamps.

[…]

Passports still come in two sizes: 28 pages and 52 pages. You have a choice which to order when you apply, and the cost for the two sizes is the same. Our advice is to always get the larger version, even if you don't think you'll fill all the pages, to avoid having to pony up another $110.

[…]

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The best and worst journalism of 2015 - Columbia Journalism Review

The best and worst journalism of 2015 - Columbia Journalism Review:

By David Uberti, CJR

DECEMBER 8, 2015

"IT’S BEEN A STANDOUT YEAR for journalism—and a disappointing one. CJR discussed the most important media stories and trends of 2015, good and bad, compiled below. "

http://www.cjr.org/analysis/the_best_and_worst_journalism_of_2015.php

'via Blog this'

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Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Dayhoff&target=adv_article

Carroll County Times: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/search/dispatcher.front?Query=Kevin+Dayhoff&target=article

Westminster Patch: http://patch.com/users/kevin-e-dayhoff?page=1

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Patuxent Publishing Co., The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO

Soundtrack: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ = http://www.kevindayhoff.net/

See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art,artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalistsand journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maioremDei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson:“That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!”- See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster is packed for the Christmas Eve service Dec. 24, 2015

Incredible Speed of a Live Christmas Tree Fire - PSA Video

Incredible Speed of a Live Christmas tree Fire

Uploaded on Dec 15, 2007 - Incredible Speed of a Live

Christmas tree Fire - PSA Video. PSA showing the incredible speed of a live

Christmas tree fire. Fire spreads up the tree and gushes across the ceiling,

setting the rest of the room ablaze. Smoke engulfs the frame from the top down

until all is black. It's a real eye-opener as to the dangers of a short in a

string of Christmas lights. Creative Commons license: Public Domain https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2dNN2waoSw

Christmas tree Fire http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2015/12/incredible-speed-of-live-christmas-tree.html

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Andrew Soergel - U.S. News & World Report - Minimum Wage Increase Comes with Cadre of Potential Complications

Minimum Wage Increase Comes with Cadre of Potential Complications

Andrew Soergel - U.S. News & World Report - Tuesday, December 22, 2015

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015-12-22/minimum-wage-increase-comes-with-cadre-of-potential-complications

New Year's Day is still more than a week off, but 2016 is already shaping up to be the year of the minimum wage increase.

Alaska, Arkansas, California and Colorado are among about a dozen states due for minimum wage upticks at the turn of the year, with more increases and more potential legislation already in the pipeline for later in 2016 and beyond.

The federal minimum wage currently sits at just $7.25 per hour, though waiters and individuals who receive a bulk of their income through tips can legally earn even less. Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is among a host of politicians championing higher wages as a means of revitalizing the middle class.

But the jury is still out on how much minimum wage gains would actually help the U.S. economy and the middle class. Some studies suggest government-mandated wage hikes are actually detrimental to the American workforce.

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Honestly, you cannot make this up – Baltimore Sun story by Luke Broadwater: “Baltimore mayor, other city elected officials to get raises”

“Baltimore mayor, other city elected officials to get raises”

Baltimore Sun story by Luke Broadwater December 22, 2015

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bs-md-ci-raises-20151221-story.html

“The paychecks of Baltimore's elected officials — including Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young and Comptroller Joan M. Pratt — are about to get bigger.

On Wednesday, the city's Board of Estimates, which includes those three officials, is set to approve pay raises for themselves and the members of the City Council.

Rawlings-Blake's salary is set to go from $167,000 to $171,000. Young and Pratt's pay is set to increase from $110,000 to $113,000.

According to a city law passed in 2007, the elected officials are entitled to a 2.5 percent raise if some city workers also get a raise in that year's budget. The raises go into effect Jan. 1.

Howard Libit, a spokesman for the mayor, said she plans to abstain from voting on her raise. He said officials are voting on the raises in public to be "fully transparent and disclose what's happening."

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Sunday, December 20, 2015

The view from under the Maryland bus. By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015

The view from under the Maryland bus. By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015 http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-view-from-under-maryland-bus-by.html

I spent time this afternoon with several of the police officers, known as the “Baltimore Six,” and their families, as part of efforts to help brighten their Christmas holiday.

By Kevin E. Dayhoff Dec. 20, 2015 Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20 Chaplain

Labels: Baltimore crime, Baltimore Six 20150501, Law Order, Maryland, Year in Review 2015

The views expressed here are not only correct but they are my views and mine alone – and the views of my upbringing – and my mother’s but I take full responsibility for my views. And please note that I take great pride in respecting the points of views of others who respect mine.

I spent time this afternoon with several of the police officers, known as the “Baltimore Six,” and their families, as part of efforts to help brighten their Christmas holiday.

This was the first time I had the opportunity to meet any of them in person. I met fine individuals and wonderful families. My heart – our hearts go out for them at this difficult time.

I guess that my many years of serving as an appointed and an elected official, as well as five-years as a chaplain for the Westminster Fire Department and Maryland Troopers Association Lodge #20, and 12-years as a newspaper reporter gives me a certain insight into the character of individuals.

I have been told by other police officers and public officials that have known some or all of the six Baltimore police officers; that these men and women in uniform have the hearts of dedicated public servants, who have worked tirelessly under very difficult circumstances to protect and serve.

In return, because it was politically expedient, certain public officials have thrown these men and woman under a bus in order to enhance their careers and cover-up their short-comings and inadequacies – and years of failed public policies and political leadership.

These officers and their families are our neighbors, friends, and part of our greater blue family.

They are all on a long journey. As sad as their current circumstances, today they were measured, thoughtful, reflective, but nevertheless upbeat, not only because they exuded a depth of character and personal integrity, but because they have been humbled by the incredible support they have received from the community.

I guess we have not been reading about the support they have received from the community because it does not meet with a pre-determined media narrative.

They will need more of our help in the future – and I may quietly reach-out and ask for your support.

We help these individuals because it is the right thing to do.

We help, simply because for those of us who have served the public in Maryland for years – it is only by the grace of God that it could just as easily be you or me under the Maryland bus.

All of us who served in appointed or elected office in Maryland or have served the public in Maryland know all too well that in Maryland you do not have to do anything wrong to wake-up one morning a scape-goat and thrown under a bus because it is convenient for a powerful individual of powerful organization or institution or simply good politics.

(I faced it just the other day when a powerful institution wanted to throw me under a bus. I was just doing my job as a volunteer. They saw that as a perceived threat. Fortunately the men and woman of the fire company stood behind me.)

Today, any one of us can be the victim of a news media account that is factual but does not tell the truth. Or the current pre-occupation with lies, damn lies and videotape.

In the race to the bottom that is Maryland, there is an unscrupulous political element that does not care about the welfare of individuals and families if it does not meet with their political narrative or quest for power.

In Maryland, no one has any immunity from being squished like a bug, just for doing your job, or standing-up for the right thing or standing-up to corrupt powerful individuals and institutions that wish to sweep its short-comings under the rug, with the explicit help of the Maryland elite-ruling class.

Always remember, that in the end; without public safety you cannot have a community.

It is at time like this that I recall the words of the German clergyman, Pastor Martin Niemoeller (1892-1984)

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

In Maryland, it is time that we stood-up for what is right. There is no better time than right now for standing-up for the Baltimore Six.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/kevin-earl-dayhoff/the-view-from-under-the-maryland-bus-by-kevin-e-dayhoff/10153292137177654

Westminster Maryland Online: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-view-from-under-maryland-bus-by.html

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Friday, December 18, 2015

Baltimore Six: Charges against Baltimore officers in Freddie Gray case

http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/15/us/charges-against-baltimore-officers-freddie-gray-trials/

By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Amanda Watts, CNN

William Porter was the first Baltimore officer to face trial; a hung jury resulted in a mistrial

Five other officers to face trial on charges ranging from misconduct to second-degree murder

Updated 9:14 PM ET, Wed December 16, 2015

(CNN) Six police officers have been charged in the death of Freddie Gray, with the charges ranging from misconduct in office to second-degree depraved-heart murder, according to documents from Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney for Baltimore.

"Our investigation revealed that we had enough probable cause to bring charges against the six officers," Mosby said when the charges came down in May. "The grand jury, who also concluded there is sufficient evidence for probable cause, returned indictments on all counts presented to them."

Here is rundown of the six officers and the charges they face.

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