Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Monday, January 02, 2012

Maryland Senator Joe Getty: Pre-Session Events This Week

Maryland Senator Joe Getty: Pre-Session Events This Week


Marylanders for Joe Getty January 2, 2012



The 2012 Session of the Maryland General Assembly begins on Wednesday, Jan. 11, with the opening session in the Senate Chamber commencing at noon.

Many pre-session events will be occurring this coming week and you are invited to participate.

Tomorrow (Jan. 3,) the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce will host its annual legislative breakfast. Our local legislative delegation will be discussing the many challenges and issues for the upcoming session. The breakfast begins at 8 a.m. at the Best Western Conference Center (for additional information, click here).

On Wednesday, Jan. 4, I will be hosting a "Town Hall" meeting in Hampstead to outline the impact of redistricting at the federal, state and local level. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 7 p.m. at J&P Pizza, 903 S. Main St., in Hampstead.

On Thursday morning, Jan. 5, I will be the featured speaker at the Carroll County Ag-Business breakfast. This group meets monthly for an 8 a.m. breakfast at Baugher's Restaurant in Westminster.

I will also be speaking on Thursday afternoon to the section chairs of the Maryland State Bar Association about the legislative process and legal issues that will be prominent in the 2012 session.

With regard to state legislative redistricting, we will learn on the first day of session exactly what the new districts for State Senate and House of Delegates will look like. It is expected that Gov. O'Malley will make few minor adjustments to the plan that was released last month by the Governor's Redistricting Advisory Committee.

This new state legislative redistricting plan proposed major changes to my district - State Senate District 5. On the negative side, I will lose the northern portion of Baltimore County which I greatly enjoy representing.

On the positive side, the district will be located entirely within Carroll County thus restoring a full Senate district that existed under Gov. William Donald Schaefer's redistricting plan in the 1990s but was removed by Gov. Parris Glendening's 2002 redistricting map.

I look forward to my re-election campaign in the new district and the opportunity to meet and represent a new constituency in the State Senate. Obviously, I need to raise campaign funds now to introduce myself to the citizens in the new district. If you would like to contribute to my campaign prior to the beginning of the legislative session, please use the "Donate" button on my website (click here) or mail your contribution to P.O. Box 437, Hampstead, MD 21074. Your contribution must be received by Jan. 10 because legislators are prohibited from accepting campaign contributions during the 90-day legislative session.

As always, I appreciate your past support and look forward to working with you as we confront the many challenges that we face in Maryland.





[20120102 Getty Pre Session Events This Week]


Md Gen Assembly 2012, MD Gen Assembly Opera, MD Gen Assembly Senate, People Getty-Joe Getty, 
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Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines: Catholics seek to boost number of priests serving as chaplains and other stories

Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines: Catholics seek to boost number of priests serving as chaplains and other stories

[img]Catholics seek to boost number of priests serving as chaplains
Searching for bombs day in and day out as part of a route-clearance team, Spc. Joe Murphy needed the reassuring hand of his faith more than ever. But because of a worsening shortage of Catholic chaplains in Afghanistan and throughout the military, it had never been more difficult to practice it. 

 

[img]Weary of bloodshed, a Taliban leader in Afghanistan weighs reintegration
The Taliban leader hid his face beneath a black ski mask as he rode in the back seat of an Afghan army pickup truck. He knew to avoid needless risk. If the wrong person saw him, his life might end before he could convert from insurgent to peacemaker. 

 

[img]Afghan police chief: 'We want revenge'
After a preteen suicide bomber killed six people three weeks ago in this village darkened by Pakistan's shadow, Abdul Latif assumed a new job in circumstances he called 'worse than awful.' 

 

[img]Friction between Afghan forces hangs over remote post
There is no need to imagine the aftermath of perhaps the worst attack on the Afghanistan Border Patrol in its young history. The Taliban captured the grim scene on video. The siege inflamed the simmering distrust between the border patrol and the Afghanistan National Army in a turbulent region.

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Ringing in a conservative year - The Washington Post

Ringing in a conservative year - The Washington Post: "By George F. Will, Published: December 30

Although they have become prone to apocalyptic forebodings about the fragility of the nation’s institutions and traditions under the current president, conservatives should stride confidently into 2012. This is not because they are certain, or even likely, to defeat President Obama this year. Rather, it is because, if they emancipate themselves from their unconservative fixation on the presidency, they will see events unfolding in their favor. And when Congress is controlled by one party, as it might be a year from now, it can stymie an overreaching executive.

In 2011, for the first time in 62 years, America was a net exporter of petroleum products. For the indefinite future, a specter is haunting progressivism, the specter of abundance. Because progressivism exists to justify a few people bossing around most people and because progressives believe that only government’s energy should flow unimpeded, they crave energy scarcities as an excuse for rationing — by them — that produces ever-more-minute government supervision of Americans’ behavior." ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ringing-in-a-conservative-year/2011/12/30/gIQAGWZNRP_story.html?tid=pm_opinions_pop

'via Blog this'

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Kevin DayhoffI’m a newspaper reporter. I’m pushy, inconsiderate and I do not respect boundaries. 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.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoffKevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/ Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=DayhoffE-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.comBEST VIEWED IN ChromeMy 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/+++++++++++++++

Maryland Hay Bank nets a little 'feed' to help struggling horse owners

Maryland Hay Bank nets a little 'feed' to help struggling horse owners



The Maryland Hay Bank, an operation of the Mount Airy-based Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, was among 15 organizations awarded a piece of $21,000 in grants this week from the Maryland Horse Industry Board.
The Maryland Hay Bank assists private horse owners who are experiencing a financial hardship or a personal crisis with free hay for their horses for 30 days, up to a maximum of 100 total bales.
The Maryland Hay Bank is donation driven, and hay is provided at no cost to recipients... http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/neighborhoods/mount-airy/ph-ce-hay-bank-0101-20111230,0,7956950.story

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Flacco, Pitta in sync when it counted

Flacco, Pitta in sync when it counted



Sporting nearly identical Fu Manchu mustaches, Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and tight end Dennis Pitta also displayed a keen sense of awareness in the passing game and contributed to the team's 24-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday.

Without trusted wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was deactivated because of a knee injury for the second consecutive game, Flacco targeted Pitta seven times, which tied rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith for the team lead... http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-notes-0102-20120101%2C0%2C4927742.story

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Overcharged - The Washington Post

Overcharged - The Washington Post: "By Editorial Board, Published: January 1

THERE MAY NOT have been a party in Times Square to celebrate, but two of the most wasteful subsidies ever to clutter the Internal Revenue Code went out with the old year. Congress declined to renew either the 45-cent-per-gallon tax credit for corn-based ethanol or the 54-cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol, so both expired Dec. 31.

Taxpayers will no longer have shell out roughly $6 billion per year for a program that badly distorted the global grain market, artificially raised the cost of agricultural land and did almost nothing to curb greenhouse gas emissions. A federal law requiring the use of 36 billion gallons of ethanol for fuel by 2022 still props up the industry, but the tax credit’s expiration is a victory for common sense just the same." http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/overcharged/2011/12/30/gIQAzQ0yUP_story.html

'via Blog this'

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Kevin DayhoffI’m a newspaper reporter. I’m pushy, inconsiderate and I do not respect boundaries. 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.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoffKevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net The Tentacle: www.thetentacle.com http://www.thetentacle.com/author.cfm?MyAuthor=41Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/ Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/Westminster Patch: http://westminster.patch.com/search?keywords=DayhoffE-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.comBEST VIEWED IN ChromeMy 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/+++++++++++++++

Big turn out for first annual Westminster New Year’s Eve celebration


At the stroke of midnight New Year’s Day in downtown Westminster, nothing dropped. Not a brightly lighted ball - or anything, for that matter.

As the crowd shouted in unison, “five, four, three, two, one; Happy New Year” - a large American flag was raised on a bright yellow bucket lift donated by Ben’s Rental. “2012” accompanied the flag in numbers in bright lights on a homemade four-by- eight Styrofoam backboard powered by a portable generator.

“Hey, you know, I mean, why not, we’re always looking up in Westminster…and if anything, we’re patriotic…,” said Westminster Kevin Utz with a broad grin, as he nodded approvingly at the flag suspended about thirty-five-feet in the air above Main Street.

With the temperature in the lower 40s, no snow and hardly any wind, the weather was perfect for almost 500 people who attended the first annual Westminster New Year’s Eve celebration in historic downtown Westminster Saturday night.

Lori Graham, who spearheaded the event, had put a great deal of thought as to “what the heck do you drop” for a new Westminster New Year’s Eve tradition. Oh, there were plenty of silly ideas, smiled Graham devilishly. In the end, it was decided to not drop anything at all.

In honor of the troops, the men and women in uniform, coming home from the Middle East, Graham wanted to honor their service by raising the flag for the Carroll County New Year’s celebration in the first unit block of West Main Street. “I wanted a patriotic Westminster family-oriented event.”

The Westminster police and the Westminster street department blocked-off the area just minutes before 11:30 p.m., Saturday evening, as folks had already begun to gather.

Westminster Councilman Tony Chiavacci was there, with thirty folks from his New Year’s Eve party. “I brought the whole party here,” said Chiavacci as he peered over the crowd. “Great to see everyone here… Give us a couple of years and look out Times Square,” in a reference to the hundreds of thousands who attend the traditional dropping of an expensive Tiffany Ball.

New York City got started on its New Year’s Eve celebration over a hundred years ago - in 1906. This was Westminster’s first year for a family-community celebration and Graham and city officials and other community leaders got started on last Saturday’s event, about 100-days ago...

“Just like New York,” said Bernie Stallknecht, from Hampstead. She was there with her family. “We unusually go the (Baltimore) harbor. We wanted to support a Carroll County celebration… (This was) just wonderful. Keep it local.”


“No wonder they came here. New York hasn’t got anything on Westminster,” added Graham, as families hugged and kissed and strangers greeted each other with “Happy New Year.”

Westminster Volunteer Fire Department President Bob Cumberland, watched from the back of the crowd with fire department treasurer Bob Ruby and Westminster Police Chief Jeff Spaulding – who was busy coordinating crowd control with Captain Nancy Yeager.

“Happy New Year – be safe in 2012. We’re thankful for all the community support last year and looking forward to even better things this year,” said Cumberland.

Ruby, who also serves with the fire police, stopped in the middle of his greeting to listen to his radio. “Happy… wait a minute. Well, there goes the first call of the year, shrubs on fire from fireworks… Where was I? Oh, Happy New Year.”

Utz noted that he was “overwhelmed with the turn-out. We thought we might just get a few folks – a Westminster crowd - from the downtown restaurants. But, families came from all over Carroll County,” said Utz.

Long after midnight, Utz, Graham, Westminster Street Superintendent Larry Bloom, Westminster Administrator of Economic Development Stan Ruchlewicz and his wife, Pat, waited patiently to dismantle the flag and lights while families lined-up to have their pictures taken with the “2012” display.

Ruchlewicz was all smiles as he and his wife clicked-away with cameras handed to them. “Great turn out for a first time event,” said Ruchlewicz, a seasoned urban planner and veteran of helping putting together many events over the years. “Especially for a family-centered event at midnight…”

Mike Johnson, from Westminster, was also pleased with the event and added, “All traditions have to start somewhere…” as he surveyed the families having their pictures taken.

Bloom, who is also in charge of the city’s snow clearing operations, was glad for good weather. “This weather was great for a good turn out,” said Bloom as he began to unplug the lights.

“This was awesome,” Graham kept saying to no one in particular. “Just awesome that so many families came out. It’s good to have a local community event for families right here in Carroll County.”


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Labels: Maryland Municipal League see MML, MML, MML Municipal League
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ 
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.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/
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Sunday, January 01, 2012

NPR Most E-mailed stories: Singing Therapy Helps Stroke Patients Speak Again and others

Image
January 1, 2012Please donate to your NPR Station
Laurel Fontaine, 16, (left) and her twin sister Heather. When Laurel was 11 years old, she suffered a stroke that destroyed 80 percent of the left side of her brain. The singing therapy helped her regain the ability to speak.
SHOTS - HEALTH BLOG
"Singing therapy" is one treatment researchers are using to help brain trauma patients gain the ability to speak again.
FOOD
Alex Schmidt's grandparents say that the best Jewish food they've ever eaten came from Mexico. They remember a legendary husband-and-wife catering team who made downtown Mexico City feel like the shtetlsof Eastern Europe. Schmidt visits her grandmother to find out more about fusing two culinary traditions.
Support comes from:
Become an NPR sponsor

RESEARCH NEWS
Some 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci noted that branches on trees split with mathematical precision. Recently, physicists studying this phenomenon have discovered it has important implications for the way wind flows around and through trees.

THE TWO-WAY
Go ahead. Try not to feel all warm and fuzzy after you watch a video or two of the month-old polar bear who is quickly becoming an Internet hit. He's at a zoo in Denmark.

ASIA
It's an old cliche — the boozy customer at the pub, pouring out his woes to the bartender. But at a Tokyo bar run by Buddhist monks, bartenders don't mind hearing their customers' problems — dispensing advice is precisely why they're in business.

MORE MOST E-MAILED
MORE AT NPR.ORG

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Anchorage Daily News Outdoors Update

Anchorage Daily News Outdoors Update
Sunday, January 1, 2012 7:00 am

Outdoors Update



-4°L:-2° | H:7°
statewide forecast 
Denali National Park entry fee structure changes for 2012
The National Park Service is changing the way it charges visitors to Denali National Park and Preserve. Visitors now will be charged per head, not per vehicle.
Two new reality shows on hunting in Alaska set to air
The Sportsman Channel is the latest network to delve into the Alaska reality television world with two new shows, both featuring hunting in the Alaska wilderness.
McKinley rebuffing climber's ambition
Two days after a merry little high-altitude Christmas on Mount McKinley, Minnesota adventurer Lonnie Dupre took another snow day Tuesday as poor visibility stalled his second attempt in as many years to become the first person to make a solo January ascent of the North America's tallest peak.
Sena nabs two wins
Tysen Sena claimed two victories at Big Lake in the Mat-Su Snowmachine Racing Club's first race of the season on Dec. 18. There were 51 racers participating in the event.
December snowfall is heavy, but falls shy of years past
Persistent snow this month has caused some to suggest that Anchorage is approaching a new record. Not even close. As of Tuesday, the official snowfall for December stood at 25.6 inches, well short of the 41.6 inches recorded in December of 1955.
Dog show is no place for mushers
Zoya and I are in Orlando, Fla., for the AKC Eukanuba National Dog Show. If you like dogs, this is the place. There are more than 5,000 dogs here representing almost 200 breeds.
Outdoors hotline (12/20/11)
Notices and listings of upcoming outdoors events
63-year-old Gravina man OK after long, wet trek to airport
A 63-year-old man walked more than six miles Thursday from his South Vallenar Point cabin to Ketchikan International Airport, through muskegs and two-feet of snow, over a portion of California Ridge.


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Westminster Maryland Online: Westminster Patch's Most Read Stories of 2011 and ...

Westminster Maryland Online: Westminster Patch's Most Read Stories of 2011 and ...: Today 53° 29° Tomorrow 39° 22° January 1, 2012 Your News January 1, 2012 Ravens Should Resolve to ...

Westminster Maryland Online: Maryland State Police Press Release Frederick, Mar...

Westminster Maryland Online: Maryland State Police Press Release Frederick, Mar...: Maryland State Police Press Release 01/01/2012 10:11 STATE POLICE HELICOPTER CREW AND FREDERICK CO. ATR TEAM LOCATE LOST HIKER Frederic...

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.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/

AP - USAToday: Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Japan – USATODAY.com

Magnitude 7.0 quake hits Japan – USATODAY.com

"TOKYO (AP) – A 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck under the sea south of Japan on Sunday..." 


http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-01/japan-earthquake/52310810/1

January 1, 2012.

Westminster’s first annual New Year’s Eve celebration a big success


With the temperature in the lower 40s, no snow and hardly any wind, the weather was perfect for almost 500 people who attended the first annual Westminster New Year’s Eve celebration in historic downtown Westminster Saturday night.

[20120101 Wster NYE (6)bsm100]

[20120101 Wster NYE (8)CKb] 

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Happy New Year from historic downtown Westminster