WICO – Has the Tilghman Times Been Handed a Monopoly on Local News?

Driving down Route 13 yesterday, I almost jumped for joy when I first heard that WICO was also broadcasting on 92.5 FM, as well as 1320 AM.  This was something that I had been hoping for for years since I usually can’t hear Bill Reddish south of the Rt. 13 by-pass or west of Mardela.  For the first time I was able to hear my favorite radio station all the way to Pocomoke.  I was genuinely thrilled, until I got back to my office and checked out Delmarva Broadcasting’s new web site for “Delmarva’s Talk Stations” (nice website BTW).

If you look at their new schedule, you’ll see something pretty shocking – all local programming has been stripped from the schedule.  No Reddish.  With the exception of 1 hour, twice a month on WSDL, there will no longer be any local news (except what gets read from the Tilghhman Times), no local interviews, nothing.

If this schedule holds, the Tilghman Times has just been handed a virtual monopoly on local news coverage.  You’ll get some local coverage from WBOC and WMDT at the dinner hour.  Don Rush will continue (hopefully) to give us those two hours a month on his Delmarva Today program.  That’s it!

With one week to go until Salisbury’s elections, we should all be demanding MORE, not less, local programming.  With the new, larger, footprint of WICO we should be hearing citizens and officials from Somerset and Worcester counties, as well as Wicomico.

Do you want to only receive local news sanctioned (and seemingly written) by Barrie Tilghman and her pals?  If not, call Joe Edwards at Delmarva Broadcasting and DEMAND the local content we not only need, but deserve.  You can reach Joe at (410) 219-3500 or email him at jedwards@dbc1.com.

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PooGate Continues … Why Doesn’t Barrie Tilghman Want to Save Money?

PooGate Continues …

In the wake of Monday’s news that the city’s new waste water treatment plant (WWTP) may be an $80+ milliion white elephant, new facts come to light that raise far more questions than provide answers.  It appears that Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman holds the city’s taxpayers and ratepayers with less regard than even I thought … or that even then Tilghman was trying to hide the truth about the WWTP from the public.

Citizens need to think back about a year when Tilghman and her rubber stamp council majority of mayoral candidate Gary Comegys, Shanie Shields and puppet-in-chief Louise Smith voted to hit water and sewer ratepayers with an increase of 50% spread over several years.  We have learned that prior to this the Tilghman administration was contacted by a company offering their services in managing the city’s WWTP.  That company SPECIFICALLY mentioned the proposed rate increases and offered its services with the expectation of saving ratepayers money.
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Why Looters Would Rather Steal From You

Yesterday we ran a post highlighting a proposal by the unholy troika of local / regional enviros, the socialist majority of the Wicomico County Council (led by John Cannon and Bill McCain) and County Executive Rick Pollitt (who is attempting to PUBLICLY straddle the fence as usual).  This legislation would legalize the theft of land from Wicomico County farmers.

In our post we discussed why enviro groups such as the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF) need to participate in socialist schemes rather than actually solve problems as they claim.  Today I noticed further evidence of this from the Commonwealth.

Oyster packers and waterman wish to expand the planting of Asian oysters.  The CBF and other lefty enviros vehemently oppose this.  Their claim is that there could be “unforseen consequences” of introducing a non-native species into the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  I would agree, except that these oysters are STERILE.  They can’t reproduce.  Of course, there may be “unforseen consequences” of the sun rising tomorrow.
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Morning Line – March 25, 2009

Delaware -

NCCo Council talks pay cut AFTER tax hike.

Kilroy highlights Delaware bills calling for transparency in school district contracts and disbursements.

DelawareLibertarian finds flaws in Delaware FOIA reform.

David Anderson argues for Delaware gay marriage ban.

Maryland -

8% of Maryland seniors may not graduate.  I guess that making them take a test lowers their self esteem.

Majority leader Miller says it’s time to change state song.  I’m sure that will fix all of the state’s woes.

Ehrlich ally on Cordish slots team.

Phillip Morris getting help from Maryland Dems.  If you can’t get a tax cut, hike the taxes on your competitors.

Tax amnesty moves forward.

Read more

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Looters Loose in Wicomico County …

… County Council Proposes Plunder in the “Name of the People”

If you have ever read Frederic Bastiat’s The Law you are familiar with concept of legalized plunder.  If you have ever read Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged you are familiar with the looting class.  If not, I heartily suggest you read them FAST.  THEFT in the name of “public good” has come to our little corner of the world.

Last Tuesday, the Democrat majority of the Wicomico County Council (sorry John Cannon, you no longer qualify as even a “Republican in Name Only”) voted to move forward with legislation that will strip farmers of their property rights.  The council’s proposal would reduce the number of lots which a parcel may be subdivided into.  It also ends the dreaded “cluster provision” which allowed farmers to sell parcels of land for development at greater density by requiring that more open space would be preserved.  The net effect of this proposal is to drastically reduce the value of a given parcel relative to its value if still developable.

Translation – the farmers pay so that certain developers and special interest groups may prosper and the lefty fringe can feel good about themselves.

Council members Gail Bartkovich, Joe Holloway and Stevie Prettyman stood their ground.  If Ag District landowners are to lose value in their greatest asset, they need to be compensated.  Additionally, the legislation itself appears to be seriously flawed.  This doesn’t seem to bother the socialist majority of the Wicomico County Council.

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Barrie Tilghman, PooGate, and Putting Lipstick On That $80+ Million Pig

We’ve Heard All This Before

“Ahead of schedule and under budget.”  How many times have we heard outgoing Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman and her ace partner-in-crime Gary Comegys make that claim regarding the city’s new waste water treatment plant (WWTP)?  Unfortunately for the water and sewer ratepayers (and possibly the city’s property tax payers), the facts are starting to “leak” out.

I’m reminded when SbyNEWS‘s Joe Albero revealed to the public that Salisbury was operating an illegal sludge lagoon at the WWTP.  First, the Queen of Barrieland denied it.  As pictures kept coming, she admitted that the lagoon was there, but everything was legal.  When the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) came forward and said that the city did not have a permit for it, Tilghman said that it was a minor technicality and that it wouldn’t cost the taxpayers a dime.  Finally, Salisbury citizens had to pony up for a nice fine.

It all started Monday morning with Councilwoman Debbie Campbell’s appearance on WICO‘s Bill Reddish show.  Reddish asked about the problems with WWTP and gave Reddish some straight answers.  This was followed by Campbell posting correspondence from city administrator John Pick on her own website.  This was followed by a scathing story on SbyNEWS.

Tilghman couldn’t run.  She couldn’t hide.  So what did Barrie do?  She blamed someone else.

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Barrie Tilghman and Poogate

POOGATE

Tens of millions of dollars spent and the new waste water treatment plant just doesn’t work.  Salisbury Mayor Barrie Tilghman is doing all she can to spin this looming fiscal and political disaster.

“We’re 99% compliant.”  “The WWTP is ‘substantially’ complete.”

There are just a few problems Barrie.  “Substantially complete” isn’t complete.  “99% compliant” isn’t good enough for Ivory soap, much less the Maryland Department of the Environment and the EPA.

At Tilghman’s press conference today, she knew that she couldn’t put enough lipstick on this pig by spinning those lines, so she pulled the same old tricks out of her old, shabby, tattered bag – she blamed it on the “blogs” and smeared the only two members of the city government that give a tinker’s damn about the city’s taxpayers and water and sewer ratepayers.

Without naming them directly, Tilghman implied that councilwomen Debbie Campbell and Terry Cohen violated privilege by “leaking” information about the city’s Rube Goldberg WWTP and the fact that the city cannot meet it’s state mandated May 1 permit deadline to those dirty, nasty blogs (like the one her son writes for).  As usual, the facts don’t support Tilghman.

Stay tuned sports fans.  We’ll have more (a lot more) at 8:30 AM.

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Support Real Fairness, Oppose the Fairness Doctrine

Maryland Senators Andy Harris (R-7) and Alex Mooney (R-3) have introduced SJ11 – a resolution in opposition to any reintroduction of the “Fairness Doctrine”. For those of you too young to remember this oxymoron, the “Fairness Doctrine” required all broadcasters to provide equal time to opposing points of view. Of course, this led to the liberal domination of ALL media.  Conservatives somehow weren’t worthy of equal time.

Since the abolition of this ridiculous rule, Americans have been afforded access to more points of view than ever before. Unfortunately for the left, liberal media like Air America and MSNBC have struggled because they can’t grab an audience in the free marketplace of ideas. This is why the left wants to re-introduce the rule in some form.  For liberal media to survive, they need government subsidy.

Why?  Too many of us support outmoded and simplistic ideas such as limited government and fiscal responsibility.  We can’t have any of that.  Can we?

To show your support for the free market of ideas, show your support for SJ11 at:

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Somerset BOE Stands Firm, Educations More Important Than Sports

The Somerset Board of Education has stood firm and kept its current policy of requiring student to hold a minimum 2.0 GPA to participate in school sports.  The BOE should be commended for its strength of character.  This is in particular contrast to the Wicomico and Worcester Boards who allow a much lower GPA.

At least someone gets it.  School is for learning.

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Morning Line – March 19, 2009

Delaware -

NCCo homeowners upset about proposed 25% tax hike.  Gee, I wonder why?

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell to attempt closing state’s deficit.

kavips provides a great analysis of Delaware’s economic strengths.

Delaware House passes trans-fat ban in schools.  Proves that they can take of the really important stuff.s

Fugitive QB reported dead.

Maryland -

Liquor lobby squares off against the disabled.

Maryland Senate Majority Leader Mike Miller advocates state to go into horse racing biz.

Read more

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