Just last week Delmarva Power said it wasn’t going to release “preliminary numbers” on purching land based wind power, which lead to this juicy fun:

Cathcart and Rep. Robert Valihura, R-Beau Tree, said senior Delmarva officials and their lobbyist, Joe Farley, met with the House Republican caucus shortly before the break. Both lawmakers said they heard Delmarva representatives promise them cost estimates for onshore wind bids, which they could compare to Bluewater prices, by the time they return next week.    

But Delmarva spokesman Bill Yingling said the company never made such a promise. He said the company only said it would have preliminary numbers by the end of March, and those numbers would not be released.

“Representative Valihura must have misunderstood our statements,” Yingling said.

In reaction, Valihura said, “That’s just a flat-out lie.” And Cathcart added. “If they’re telling you they did not say that, they’re not telling you the truth.”

Yesterday, Delmarva Power released “final” numbers on purchasing land based wind power. You can read what the summary says HERE.  Let’s just say it’s a little short on information.

Steve Forbes (left) meets most likely Delaware Republican candidate for Governor Alan Levin.

Of course Alan Levin was on hand for the annual Lincoln Day Dinner held by the Delaware Republican Party. When you’re running for Governor…well…um…when you’re probably running for Governor as a Republican, it’s a good place to be seen. And Levin was looking forward to a “great night.” AUDIO

Back in September, I interviewed Levin on the air and one of the questions he was asked was about energy. Levin indicated that he supported the proposed wind farm off the coast of Rehoboth Beach. In light of the new and bizarre developments with the General Assembly and the wind farm, I asked Levin if he was still a supporter of the project.

I think we need it (the wind farm) more than ever right now…In fact, I’d even like to do it with the State of Maryland on a regionalization basis and even increase the size of it out there because I think we and Maryland can do this together and really share in a lot of the benefits. AUDIO

Then I asked Levin straight out if he was running.

We’ll see, you know we’re working through some things and we’re having a great time. I’ve been going up and down the state and we’re working through it. AUDIO

But…most of the people at the event spoke about Levin like he was already declared. While talking to me about the condition of the Delaware Republican Party, it’s former Chairman, Basil Battaglia, had this to say:

We have a great candidate in Alan Levin, he’s an excellent person. AUDIO

Come on, Alan, you know you want to tell us….

Joni Mitchell sang, “They paved paradise & put up a parking lot”… condo, town house, mini-mall…..    

Yeah – I can play the “I remember when” game when it comes to Delmarva.  I remember when I was a kid when there really wasn’t anything much north of 33 Street except the Carousel Hotel.  I remember when Route 1 in Delaware was pretty much two lanes and bumper to bumper traffic – well some things never change.  But tell me – when did Ocean City turn from a place I used to love to go to as a kid and a teenager – to one pretty ugly town?   There’s development and then there’s development gone wild.  I know folks in Sussex County say development is out of control, but there are development districts in the county – where development is allowed (like it or not) and other places where there’s no infrastructure to support development – and you can’t develop those areas.  In Ocean City – it seems the entire town is one ginormous development district – and if there’s not the space to build – they’re filling in the bayside wetlands to create more space to pave over!   There’s so little green in Ocean City today – about all that’s left are the ball parks at 3 Street and Northside Park.  Much of the rest of Ocean City today is tar and concrete.                                     I was watching a DVD recently by an aerial photographer, Jim Whaley.  While his “A Bird’s Eye View” DVD has some spectacular shots of the resort I spent at least part of every summer in since I was a kid – it also made me realize just how “developed” Ocean City has become since I first saw it as a child – and ugly.  When the condo my parents live in was built in 1975, it was one of the tallest buildings in the lower part of town (basically south of 33 Street).  Height variances had to be obtained to build as high as they did – 11 stories – with a parking garage at the ground level (so 12 stories actually).  There was nothing taller to the south.  Not any more.  While Mayor Cropper dreamed in the 1960s of developing Ocean City to the state line, I don’t know if that dream included what has come to be.  Some of the ugliness can be attributed to a handful of people – like Buddy Jenkins who started filling in the bayside wetlands to develop 28 Street bayside and gave others the idea to fill in the other bayside wetlands – like Charles Holland – who’s new Sunset Island at 66 Street is one of the ugliest creations I’ve seen.  Those are only 2 examples – there are many.  Of course all that wouldn’t have been possible without the approval being granted for all these projects by the Ocean City planning & zoning commissions and the town councils through the years. Condo Row in North Ocean City was inevitable, but the bayside was supposed to stay less developed with smaller buildings – like single family homes or town homes.  Even the high density mobile and manufactured home developments like what’s mostly at 94 Street and Montego Bay, while pretty ugly – at least allow for something green – like a lawn.  Not multi-level monstrosities like Rivendell at 81 Street.  A high rise condo on the bayside that was, oops, built taller than what was approved, but the town council has not said – “oh well – it’s already there, so it can stay.  Besides they’re going to pave the sidewalks and powerwash the neighboring buildings as a consequence for being too tall.”  Right now the centerpiece in the current crop of OC ugly is the monstrosity that’s being erected at 48 Street and the ocean.  The Gateway Grand - a 16-story, 196-unit, oceanfront luxury condominium.  What was wrong with the old Gateway?   Oh – I get it – a motel just doesn’t generate the revenue that these condos will bring in - prices range from $1,000,000 to $2,000,000+.  Just how many Bill Gates and Warren Buffetts do they expect to be moving to town?  The Gateway Grand is just too – everything.  Too big, too tall, too out of scale to the rest of the area and too UGLY (of course that’s totally my opinion).  Of course it also brings up the questions everyone asks – there’s someplace to house all these folks – but there’s no place for them to go.  Coastal Highway can’t handle the traffic, there’s no where to shop because they’re closing many of the stores to build more housing (45 Street Village), grocery stores are far and few between.   And you just can’t have EVERYONE in town head to the second main attraction in town – the Boardwalk – all those people & their cars just won’t fit.  You just can’t pour a gallon of water into a pint bottle. At the rate that Ocean City is being developed – both up and out, it’s a wonder they haven’t decided to just fill in the bay and become one with Bishopville, Ocean Pines and Berlin. I think I’ll stay in Delaware – compared to Ocean City – even eastern Sussex County is the wilderness! Photo credits - Jim Whaley’s “A Bird’s Eye View” DVD and the GatewayGrand.com

I lit a candle outside…
trying to remember so many names……
remembering how many died……
and so many families left unsaid….
some still wishing for that one day to come…
they will get a call saying they found their loved one…
     (author unknown)

You can light a candle in memory to someone lost or loved - the candles will remain lit for 48 hours - just click on the candle   And remember all who have died in the war on terror, but especially your neighbors from Delaware and Maryland

You’ll never call me an Orioles fan – I’ll be a NY Mets fan till the day I die, but living here on Delmarva it’s hard to avoid everything orange and black during the spring, summer and fall.  But I will admit to watching a few O’s games in my day – especially when it came to some of the bigger games – like championship games and Cal’s streak, but now, the era of Orioles’ Magic is truly over.
 
While Orioles’ Magic generally refers to the team’s glory years in the 1970s and 1980s, the man who was as well known to O’s fans as Cal Ripken and Jim Palmer has given fans their last spelling lesson.  William “Wild Bill” Hagy has died at the age of 68. 
 
Hagy ruled Section 34 at the old Memorial Stadium – and with his long beard, beer belly and wearing his straw cowboy hat - led cheers spelling the Orioles team name – using his body to create the letters. 
 
In a statement on the Orioles website –

“The Orioles organization is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of “Wild Bill” Hagy. While leading cheers from “The Roar from 34″ at Memorial Stadium, Wild Bill became a Baltimore institution. He was one of the great characters of the Baltimore sports landscape and was a true die-hard Orioles fan, supporting the club year in and year out. He will be missed by everyone who knew him and by everyone for whom he led the “O-R-I-O-L-E-S” cheer. All of us in the Orioles organization extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”

 Hagy was a cab driver until his retirement a few years ago.  He was found dead Monday morning at his home in Arbutus by his roommate – and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.
 
Hagy did make the transition to Camden Yard, but didn’t lead cheers any longer as he said he was not happy with the ‘new breed’ of O’s fans who talked on their cell phones through games.  However during the playoffs – he did bring his cheering back in the mid-1990s when the O’s were contenders for a few years. 
 
Like Max Patkin, the clown prince of baseball, Hagy was one of a kind and though he’s not been around Camden Yard much, preferring to watch the games on TV, he will be missed.
 
 
 Tribute to “Wild Bill’ Hagy

 

Do you have a family pet?  If not – you can leave now.
 
If you answered yes – does your pet think he or she is human? The family comedian?   It’s interesting to really watch the personality of your animal emerge - be it a cat, dog or whatever.  I know not one of my animals has been like any other I’ve had.  Like humans, each has had its own distinct personality.
 
I’ve had cats, dogs, turtles, fish, gerbils, a hamster and snails.   Since I moved to Delmarva, most of my creatures have been cats – and 2 dogs.  Puddkitty is the current critter and while she isn’t as animated as some that I’ve had, she does keep herself and me entertained.  She also makes sure that any creepy crawly critter that manages to get into the house doesn’t stay for long.  Now if only she would decide that cricket legs taste like chicken!  She leaves those behind – I guess it’s just her gift to me, but it’s better than leaving ‘other’ things!  Pudd likes height – the top of anything is a great perch – doors, furniture, the mantle.  Even with only hind claws, she’s still a great climber.
 
Most of the cats I’ve had through the years have been social – they like the company of the humans in the house rather than going off on their own to sleep in a sunbeam.   Sam was a fighter – he protected the property from any other cat in the neighborhood.  He was my only outside cat, but met his match when he went after a large four-legged – car. 
 
Samantha was my mouse cat.  She could find any mouse that had the unfortunate luck to come into the house.  Of course she didn’t hunt it – she played with it to death.  And then just left it for Mommy to dispose of.  She liked everyone and had the knack of finding the one person in a group who didn’t really like cats and did her best to change their mind.
 
Pywich was the anti-social one of the bunch, but also came to me after her Mommy left her with me.  Actually Py was the queen of the house – and oversaw all in her realm.
 
Mickey was the lover of the bunch.  He knew he was cute and worked it to the max and then just sat on you and purred, but sometimes I think he thought he was a dog.  He is the only cat that actually came when you called him and he would play fetch with his toys!
 
Mo was abandoned at the Worcester County Humane Society and she and Puddkitty came to me at the same time.  Mo was 5 and very unhappy to be in such a noisy place and Pudd was 6 months and the baby in the cat room.  Mo was like Pywich – older and aloof, but she was more sociable.  Pudd you’ve already met. 
 
Cats aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but as long as you provide food and water, the occasional visit to the vet and some attention – they’re really the ideal pet for someone who wants a 4-footed companion, but doesn’t necessarily have a lot of time to devote to training.  Cats learn the litter pan in about 20 minutes.  You really don’t have to provide a bed – they’ll find their own – several actually.  I’ve read that cats need about an hour of your time a day, for petting and being paid attention.  Just sitting on you will do, too. 

These are pictures taken while I was out and about around Delmarva this week:

Christy Freeman’s house in Ocean City, Maryland, where the bodies of four unborn babies were discovered.

Federal agents involved in the excavation of Christy Freeman’s house. Two cats and one dog were found buried in the yard.

Rick Leventhal from FOX News covering the Christy Freeman story in Ocean City, MD. He’s the guy with the blue shirt and jeans in the middle of the picture.

The Mountaire truck that crossed the center line and swiped a Mountaire tanker truck. It was rumored that the driver of the truck that crossed the line had a heart attack.

The beach at Tower Road today. The sun was shining and the water was refreshing and people were certainly taking advantage of the beautiful conditions.

Surfers and boogie boarders enjoy the little, clean waves coming into Tower Road today.

The seagull that pooped on me at the water park on Tuesday afternoon. Being pooped on by a bird is apparently considered “good luck” by some people. Those people all must have really, really bad luck.

(From left to right:  Chief Bernadette DiPino, Officer Barry Neeb, and Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd at today’s press conference in Ocean City, Maryland )

An Ocean City, Maryland woman, Christy Freeman, 37, was held on 3 charges including “1st degree Murder” for allegedly killing her unborn child this week. Freeman had been admitted to Peninsula Regional Medical Center where staff discovered she had been pregnant.  Police later found a “small infant wrapped in a blanket” in her home.  A search turned up more fetuses.     

You can LISTEN to “Jake the Local” talk about Christy Freeman HERE.

          

The FBI is excavating the grounds around the house where Christy Freeman lived.

Joel Todd, Worcester County State’s Attorney explains his case HERE.

The entire OCPD press conference is available to LISTEN to HERE.

The “viable fetus statute” that Joel Todd hopes to prosecute Freeman under is Maryland’s version of “Laci’s and Connor’s Law” named after Laci Peterson, whose husband, Scott Peterson, was convicted of murdering her and their unborn child, Connor.  Under Maryland law it’s illegal to abort a fetus once it’s viable unless the life of the mother is in danger or if there is an abnormality with the fetus.  Todd will have to prove that Freeman’s baby was intentionally aborted.

There was no word on the age, condition, or paternity of the other fetuses found in the home wrapped in plastic. The State of Maryland and specifically the Ocean City area, do, in fact, have women’s clinics that offer family planning. 

UPDATE:  From WGMD News:

The officers who were searching the home of 37 year old Christy Freeman on Sunset Drive in Ocean City for additional remains are now done excavating as Barry Neeb of the Ocean City Police Department tells WGMD..

WGMD has also learned that they also found the remains of two cats and one dog, and police say the pets belong to Christy Freeman. Freeman is being charged with first and second-degree murder and manslaughter. A preliminary hearing is set for August 27th. Domestic violence experts will examine bruises on Freeman’s body that are accidental, self-inflicted, or caused by someone else.  

From WGMD News:

Michael Jackson is in the market for new vacation home – and he’s been looking here on the Eastern Shore. His publicist says the reclusive pop star has indeed been looking in the St. Michael’s area, but no deal has been struck on a property. She says Jackson isn’t limiting his search to the Chesapeake region but looking in a variety of areas.

Location of St Michaels, Maryland.

It was kind of nice knowing that he was all the way in Bahrain….

From WGMD News:

Salisbury area blogger Joe Albero is being sued by Salisbury Police Chief Allan Webster. The defamation suit was filed in May and accuses Albero of putting the chief in a ‘false light’ and invading his privacy. Albero says the accusations are false and he plans to countersue Webster for harassment. A hearing is scheduled for October in Wicomico County District Court.

Here’s what Albero has to say about it on his site:

Was he shy $9,999.00 on his down payment for his new home? Is he trying to get me to settle early so he can get a quick buck out of me? Oh well, who cares. I welcome the suit and a counter lawsuit will follow, I can assure you on that one. Stalking and harassment on his behalf will be just the beginning. Pictures don’t lie Chiefy. Maybe it was the “Chief Jack & Coke” that upset him so much?

We’ll keep you posted…