Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Chicken Nugget Recall Expands To Virginia

GREELEY, Colo. (AP) - A voluntary recall of thousands of pounds  of ready-to-eat chicken has been expanded over concerns that the meat could be contaminated with bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

Colorado-based Pilgrim's Pride on Tuesday announced the recall now includes about 7,000 pounds of Pilgrim's Pride Brand Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Nuggets that were shipped to dozens of Dollar General stores in the following states: West Virginia, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.

The recall began last week over fears that more than five tons of ready-to-eat chicken was potentially tainted by Listeria monocytogenes.


The Center for Disease Control classifies listeriosis as a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns, and adults with weakened immune systems.


Pilgrim's says it is not aware of any reported illnesses.


The newly recalled product was sold in 2-pound bags and carries the best-by date of June 2, 2012, and UPC number 77013 16224.


It was produced in the Pilgrim's plant in Mt. Pleasant, Texas.


Pilgrim officials say the company is working closely with Dollar General to locate all of the recalled product.

"Food safety is our top priority and we take product recalls very seriously,'' said Kendra Waldbusser, senior vice president of food safety and quality assurance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced the recall of two of the company's products Thursday.

The first was nearly 400 pounds of Fully-Cooked Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets with Rib Meat made at Pilgrim's plant in Waco, Texas, and distributed through Columbus, Ohio.

Also, recalled was nearly 11,000 pounds of weet Georgia Brand Fully-Cooked Breaded White Chicken Nuggets Shaped Patties produced at Pilgrim's plant in Mt. Pleasant and sent to distribution centers in New Jersey and Texas.

The problem was discovered during on-site internal testing at each plant.

Pilgrim's employs approximately 42,000 people and operates chicken processing plants and prepared-foods facilities in 12 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Check Out The Wednesday Special At Shore Beef & BBQ

In honor of the Chincoteague Pony Swim

WEDNESDAY SPECIAL

SALT WATER COWBOY BURGER
 w/ one side and a drink ~ $9.50

Lankford Highway- south just before T's Corner

Fire At Ray's Shanty Restaurant

Sometime around 4 o'clock Monday afternoon several local fire departments were called to the scene of a structure fire at  a very popular local restaurant, Ray's Shanty on Chincoteague Road located in Wattsville. 


Photos by Barry Outten, Sr., Diane Massey and Brian Justice
Eastern Shore Fire
Upon arrival fire fighters found fire in the bar area of the restaurant.  Responding fire fighters were able to quickly extinguish the fire but  the restaurant was left with smoke and water damage.

Virginia State Police and V.D.O.T. were also on the scene. The fire in being investigated by VSP.

Responding departments were: New Church, Atlantic,  Chincoteague, Greenbackville, Pocomoke, Wallops, Oak Hall, and Parksley.
Photos by Barry Outten, Sr., Diane Massey and Brian Justice
Eastern Shore Fire

No cause of the fire has been determined and no date has been set for reopening of the restaurant as of this writing.


Homicide Near Gargatha

Accomack County Sheriff’s Department officers responded at about 4 a.m. Thursday, July 21, 2011, to the scene of a shooting on Lankford Highway near Gargatha.


Pictured are (from left) Godwin, Investigator
Chuck McPherson, Lt. Gerald Goga and Capt. Shane Childress
Photo By Linda Cicoira
The incident reportedly occurred in a large grassy area outside of the old Godwin’s Nursery,which was more recently being used as a church community center.

 Maj. Todd Godwin said the victim died while being transported by Parksley ambulance to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital a short time later.

The victim was identified only as a Hispanic man, pending notification of next of kin.  Officers investigated what they believe was the victim's pick-up truck, found at the scene.


Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Accomack County Sheriff's Department  at
 787-1131 or 824-5666.

Source;  http://www.easternshorepost.com/

UPDATE:  7.27.11The man shot  in a church community center  parking lot  has been identified as Belarmino Escalante, age 25. 

Escalante,  a native of Guatemala,  and had four young children.  had worked at McDonald's  in Onley and was also a chicken- catcher. 

Escalante was also a member of the Candelero de Oro Church (once Godwin's Nursery) where the shooting occurred.

Witnesses at the scene said the fatal shooting happened after about a half-dozen men who were meeting in the church parking lot to share a ride to their job as chicken- catchers were confronted by a group of young black males who asked them if they wanted to buy marijuana.

When they declined, "they just shot the guy and drove away," a witness said.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Accomack County Sheriff's Office at 757-787-1131 or 757-824-5666.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

18 Home Cures for Mosquito Bite Itch

Are you so sweet that mosquitoes can't stop biting you? These Everyday Health reader-recommended and expert-approved home remedies can help ease the itch.


When it comes to enjoying the great outdoors in summer, mosquito bites seem to be an unavoidable evil. While bees and wasps inject venom when they sting, mosquitoes simply bite to feed on your blood. The bumps and itchiness that follow come from an anticoagulant that the mosquito injects to prevent your blood from clotting, which triggers a mild allergic reaction that includes the typical round, red bumps.
Although it rarely happens, mosquito bites can trigger a severe anaphylactic reaction or transmit certain diseases, like malaria or West Nile virus. Most of the time, however, mosquito bites simply itch

When the Bugs Bite

For immediate relief, try an antihistamine cream or stick to help the itch and swelling. Don’t have any in stock? Hit the kitchen, and hold a refrigerated, dampened green tea bag on the bite, recommends Everyday Health skin and beauty expert Jessica Wu, MD, a dermatologist in Los Angeles and author of Feed Your Face. The cold helps soothe the itch and compounds in the tea help with inflammation.” Another option: Take a soak in a soothing oatmeal bath.
For additional creative ways to cope with bug bites, we asked Everyday Health Facebook fans for their out-of-the-medicine cabinet ideas (honey! aloe! batteries?!), then vetted them with Dr. Wu. Try one next time mosquitoes strike.

FOR MORE HOME REMEDIES FOR MOSQUITO BITES CLICK HERE >>

SNATCHED FROM  

The 86th Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim: July 27, 2011

On Wednesday, July 27th, 2011, the Saltwater Cowboys will once again swim those famous Chincoteague ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island.
PHOTO By Chincoteague Vol. Fire Company

The swim takes place at "slack tide". Slack tide is a period of about 30 minutes between tides, when there is no current. This is the easiest time for the ponies to make the swim. The time of slack tide varies each year. However, the swim generally takes place some time between 7am and 1pm. The specific time will be announced at the carnival grounds the week of the swim.

The Chincoteague Ponies will swim across the Assateague Channel during 'slack tide', which is 30 minutes between tide changes when there is no current, making it the easiest time for the ponies to swim.

A message on the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company website states this:

Official Notice from the Fire Company concerning swim times for 2011 Pony Swim
 Word has come from the pony committee that this year’s pony swim will be a LATE one according to the tide charts.

The low water slack time has been determined to be between 12:15pm and 1:30pm. We will not get the times any closer than that so with that in mind, the fire company encourages people NOT to get to the swim site extremely early. If tradition holds it will be a hot day and for the safety of the spectators there is no need to stand out in the heat and the marsh for 6 hours when you can arrive at 9:30am and still get a great viewing spot.

The fire company would like to remind everyone to bring water, bug spray and old shoes because of the low tide there will be lots of mud at the swim site itself.

Please stop by the information stand Tuesday night for any further updates. Information stand is located at the carnival grounds.

Once the ponies reach dry land and have rested for about 45 minutes the Salt Water Cowboys will parade the ponies down Main Street to the carnival ground.

If you plan to attend the pony swim it is advised that you bring bug repellant, sunscreen, plenty of water to drink and wear clothing suitable with shoes that can get wet or muddy. Pack you patience.

For more information you can  go to  www.chincoteague.com

I've lived on the Shore all of my life and have never seen a pony swim and understand fully at my age now that if I were ever going to attend it should have been 35 years ago when an estimated crowd of 30,000 on the tiny island wasn't even thought of. 

 While looking at photos taken by members of the Salt Water Cowboys or members of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company I found the perfect little pony for me if I were a small child among the thousands to visit this year.

PHOTO By Chincoteague Vol. Fire Company
This little guy is my favorite!  I hope he brings tons of money for the fire department and finds a wonderful home......although a buy-back would be nice.

Step-daughter, Friend Arrested in Murder of Man Found In Choptank River

July 26, 2011

Maryland State Police have arrested two Caroline County women and charged them with killing a man and leaving his body in the Choptank River, near Denton on the Eastern Shore. Police identified the suspect's as the victim's step-daughter and friend. From a statement:
An autopsy of the victim conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined the victim was murdered. Forensic pathologists found the victim had cutting wounds to his head and hands, none of which had injured vital organs, but some of which were wounds he likely sustained while trying to defend himself. 
According to the medical examiner, the victim had also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and had been asphyxiated. Autopsy evidence indicated the victim was already dead when his body was placed in the river.
More details from state police news released, including names:
Maryland State Police homicide investigators have charged two Caroline County women with the murder of a man whose body was found in the Choptank River near Denton Sunday morning. 

The victim is identified as Louis R. Nichols, 71, of the 300-block of South Fourth Street, Denton, Md. Nichols lived at that address with Charlene Weddle, the daughter of his deceased spouse, and Weddle’s friend, Mary Chider. Nichols’ wife died about one month ago.     

The first suspect is identified as Charlene R. Weddle, 45, of the 300-block of South Fourth Street, Denton, Md. She is charged with first and second degree murder and first degree assault.  Following her initial appearance before a court commissioner, Weddle was incarcerated in the Caroline County Detention Center without bond. 

The second suspect is identified as Mary S. Chider, 34, of same address.  She is charged with first and second degree murder and first and second degree assault.  She will be taken before a court commissioner for an initial appearance later this morning. 

At about 11:00 a.m. on July 24, 2011, a man fishing in the Choptank River just north of business Rt. 404, saw a body in the water near the west bank of the river, not far from the old Rt. 404 bridge.  Deputies from the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office responded, along with Natural Resources Police and criminal investigators from the State Police Easton Barrack. 

State Police Homicide Unit investigators were called and continued the investigation.   They were provided invaluable assistance from investigators with the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, the State Police Easton Barrack, and members of the Caroline County State’s Attorney’s Office. 

An autopsy of the victim conducted at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined the victim was murdered.  Forensic pathologists found the victim had cutting wounds to his head and hands, none of which had injured vital organs, but some of which were wounds he likely sustained while trying to defend himself. 

According to the medical examiner, the victim had also sustained blunt force trauma to the head and had been asphyxiated.  Autopsy evidence indicated the victim was already dead when his body was placed in the river. 

State Police homicide investigators obtained search warrants and processed the victim’s home and vehicle for evidence.  Inside his home, investigators found blood and other evidence that indicates the victim was murdered there.  Inside his vehicle, a conversion type van, they found blood evidence consistent with a body that was bleeding being transported in the vehicle. 

During interviews with friends and witnesses, investigators learned Weddle was heard threatening to kill the victim Saturday night.  A witness also saw Weddle driving the victim’s van at about 9:00 a.m. Sunday morning, near the river where the victim was found. 

A motive for the murder remains unclear at this time. The investigation is continuing.  

Source;  http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/blog/2011/07/stepdaughter_friend_arrested_i.html

Gus Wants An Indoor Pool

Gus,  the British Bulldog,  decided he didn't want to use his pool  outdoors in the horrible heat.

With his sister watching,  Gus remedies the situation!




Under The Influence and On The Road -- AGAIN

BISHOPVILLE — A 45-year-old Bishopville woman has been charged with several traffic violations for the second month in a row after sideswiping an oncoming car Sunday morning.

Kim Hinkley, of Back-Creek Road in Bishopville, was charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol, driving without a license, negligent driving, unsafe lane change, driving on a revoked license and failure to obey designated lane directions.

Sunday morning around 10 a.m., Maryland State Police say Hinkley was driving east on Rt. 367 when she allegedly crossed the center line and sideswiped another vehicle, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.

Hinkley was charged on June 21 with similar charges including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving on a suspended license and failure to display license to a police officer. Hinkley was previously found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol in June of 2009.

Source; http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110725/NEWS01/110725010/WORCESTER-CRIME-Woman-faces-DUI-charges-after-crash?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Worcester County Times|s

Monday, July 25, 2011

Ray's Shanty

5:45 - Fire is out with fire departments still on the scene. No sign of fire damage on the outside.


I learned a few minutes ago that RAY'S SHANTY on Chincoteague Road is on fire! 


If you are on your way to Chincoteague or coming from Chincoteague or any point in between
USE EXTRA CAUTION!!

Melson Power Sports - Barry and Bill Go At It

On this Saturday night the track was a little wet from the rain the evening before. However,  that was nothing to worry about since the 'Short and Sassy'  is raced through the mud quite often and can handle mud alot deeper than this track can provide.

~~  And clean up afterwards on each  truck is a breeze!! (for my husband and Bill)~~
(In my honest opinion) This was a good night to get all the 'quirks' out of both vehicles without having competition being a factor.



Attorneys Don A Different Kind of Suit

There have often been stories written about attornies and judges who race vehicles or  ride Harley Davidson motorcycles and now surf!
Written by
Greg Latshaw
OCEAN CITY -- Before prosecutor Richard Brueckner puts on his suit and enters the Wicomico County courtroom, he's out on the water, wearing his wet suit.

Richard Brueckner, left, and Wicomico State's Attorney Matt Maciarello pose with their surf boards/ LAURA EMMONS/THE DAILY TIMES


Brueckner, the safe streets prosecutor for the State's Attorney's Office, rises early to surf at Assateague Island. Hours later, he trades his board for a legal pad, taking on cases that put drug dealers and gun offenders behind bars.

Brueckner's not alone -- he's one of many lawyers who surf the waters near Ocean City. The activity brings together attorneys who may spar in court, but are friends when their boards dip into the water.

"You're sort of in a communion with nature," Brueckner said. "When you see all the surfers on boards, waiting for the surf, that's called the 'lineup.' We're talking to each other. The sun is coming up, the dolphins are going by."

Riding the waves is also a popular pastime for professionals such as accountants and doctors. But peers in those fields don't have the fierce rivalry of the bar. In court, duty calls a defense attorney and prosecutor to pick apart each other's cases.

But at the beach, saltwater melts away animosity. The surfboard breaks down barriers and builds friendships.

From boards to the board room

Long before Matt Maciarello was the Wicomico County State's Attorney, he was a Dover kid yearning for the waves.

His first job was at Endless Summer Surf Shop in Ocean City. He fixed broken surfboards, which figures, in a way, because Maciarello's first board was a beat-up, finless 1968 Dewey Weber.

As a teenager, Maciarello competed in local and regional competitions, winning nearly two dozen trophies. Decades later, he still surfs, occasionally paddling beside defense attorneys. Two weeks ago, he took Tim Robinson, a first sergeant with the Wicomico County Sheriff's Office, out for a lesson.

"It's the modern board meeting," Maciarello joked.

On a given Saturday morning, defense attorneys, prosecutors and public defenders will be in the water together. At one point, Wicomico County District Court Judge L. Bruce Wade surfed, but he doesn't anymore.

Salisbury attorney Bruce Anderson said surfing brings people together. Anderson, 57, began surfing about 15 years ago as a way to get closer to his son, a surfer who travels around the world for waves. Now Anderson is part of a loose-knit group called the 62nd Street Longboarding Club, which brings together many older lawyers who surf off the street of the same name in Ocean City.

"I always say out there, 'It's not the guy who's the best surfer, it's the guy having the most fun,' " Anderson said.

Surfers turned lawyers

Greg Coburn, a defense attorney with an Ocean City practice, said he's been surfing since the summer of 1967, long before he became a lawyer. Once, Coburn lived in Hawaii for eight months, catching the big waves by day and working as a bartender by night.

Coburn, now 64, remembers his time in the Pacific fondly.

"We had it made. We had good jobs, were young and surfed," Coburn said.

Coburn said it was fellow Ocean City attorney Richard Parolski who introduced him to surfing. When they were younger, the two worked as seasonal police officers in Ocean City, an experience that gave them a chance to hide their boards under a hotel and surf the waves off Eighth Street.

"I surfed long before I was a lawyer. If you like it, you keep doing it," Coburn said.

He tries to surf several times a week on his longboard. When he's in the water, he said it doesn't matter if the person is a prosecutor or a defense attorney, just as long as they don't drop in on his wave.

Brueckner, the Wicomico prosecutor, agrees.

"They may be defense attorneys, but if they surf, they're OK with us," Brueckner said.

Hard to fool them flies

A cowboy from Texas attended a social function where Barack Obama was trying to gather support for his Health Plan. When Obama discovered the cowboy was from President Bush's home area, he started to belittle him by talking in a southern drawl and single syllable words.


As he was doing that, he kept swatting at some flies that were buzzing around his head. The cowboy says, "Y'all havin' some problem with them circle flies?"

Obama stopped talking and said, "Well, yes, if that's what they're called, but I've never heard of circle flies."

"Well, sir," the cowboy replies, "Circle flies hang around ranches. They're called circle flies because they're almost always found circling around the back end of a horse."

"Oh," Obama replies as he goes back to rambling.
  But, a moment later he stops and bluntly asks,   "Are you calling me a horse's ass?"

"No, sir," the cowboy replies, "I have too much respect for the citizens of this country to call their president a horse's ass."



"That's a good thing," Obama responds and begins rambling on once more.


After a long pause, the cowboy, in his best Texas drawl says,  "Hard to fool them flies, though. "

Sunday, July 24, 2011

ATV Dirt Drag At Melson Power Sports - July 9, 2011

This is the first year ATV's have been at Melson's
So far it is more or less on a trial basis.




                                              


For more information about tractor pulling, ATV racing,  lawn tractor pulling, dirt drags and everything else that happens at Melson Power Sport go to:  www.melsontractorpull.webs.com

OR
The very friendly facebook page:  Melson's Tractor Pulling
MORE TO COME...........

TIME MACHINE

May, 1971

17-year-old Becky Culp was named Miss Pocomoke for 1971 with Peggy L. Richardson placing as first runner up in the annual competition sponsored by the Pocomoke Junior Woman's Club. Five-year-old Sharon Yvonne Daugherty was crowned Little Miss Pocomoke and Terri Anne Christian was runner up.


March, 1977

17-year-old Joy Laureen Dooling was crowned Miss Pocomoke 1977. First runner-up was 16-year-old Lisa Ellen Maddox, and her piano solo won her first place in the talent competition. 17-year-old Susan Patricia Reese was named Miss Congeniality. 5-year-old Tracy Lyn Worth was crowned Little Miss Pocomoke; 4-year-old Laura Lyn Santiano was first runner-up. The pageant was sponsored by the Junior Woman's Club and held in the Pocomoke High School auditorium.


July, 1977

Bob Frostrom of Pocomoke City drove his Porsche Carrera to victory in the "production" sports racing event at Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia in the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series.



For those who followed the postings this past week of the trial and verdict in the 1879 murder case against Lillie Duer of Pocomoke City an additional post-trial item was located.

TK for PPE


July, 1879

(Salt Lake Daily Tribune)

Thief as Well as Murderess

Miss Duer, who killed her school-mate and intimate friend in Maryland, and was recently acquitted of murder, has come to grief after all. Within a fortnight of her acquittal she had the enterprise to sell a sensational paper a novel entitled , "A Love Story: They Parted and Met Again". "By Miss Lillian Duer, lately on trial for the murder of Miss Ella Hearn." In the first installment of that romance she thus describes a death: "They had been boarding but for five months when her father was taken seriously ill. Medical aid proved of no avail. The baleful breath of death infused itself into his body and rendered it inanimate." This is certainly bad enough to be original, but now a Washington paper declares that the story, with slight changes, is copied from an English novel called "Catherine." So the sensational paper has lost its $500, and serves it right.



Footnote: A comment left to a previous posting on this case:

Anonymous said...

So if they had cable networks and tv back then do you think this would be like the Casey Anthony thing?


For sure.

Biggest Crowd Ever At Melson Power Show

Saturday~ July 9, 2011  The largest  crowd to ever attend the  Melson Power Show! 


What a great night for pulling and racing!  
Rain showers the evening before made track conditions just right so there was no need to wet things down.  Just a few runs to flatten the dirt, few holes to fill in and set up for the evening was completed.

Even with the rain the night before that  day had been a hot one but the shade trees provided alot of cool comfort and everyone knew it! 

The same great crowd of families and friends were there all set up at  the picnic tables on in lawn chairs waiting for the events to begin.

This particular Saturday Dave and Bill threw out some bales of straw for the kids to sit on  and I have to admit that was a good idea.  They loved it!  And the whole event keeps getting better...
One thing to  remember:  Melson  Power Show is not just for the young. 

Mixed in the crowd were so many new faces and it was great to see the older retired folks out for the evening.  The group of retired gentlemen seated behind me seemed to really enjoy everything! (Even the food).  That's wonderful to see!  They even had their own cheering section! 




 I must give a shout to the emcee of the evening because he simply kept the show going, was never at a loss for words and brought the evening to end without being long and drawn out!


I still have more video  and photos so check back real soon.............4 wheelers, lawn tractors, dirt races, tractor pull.....