Back to School Party August 23rd Cypress Park RAIN OR SHINE


Once again its time for the Pocomoke City Police Dept Back to School Party. This event while not “true” police work is a great community service and a way for the kids to get a lot of if not all the school supplies they need FREE courtesy of the PCPD.

  Back to school party 2008

Come on down to Cypress Park August 23rd from Noon until 2:00 PM… BE SURE TO GET THERE EARLY OR ON-TIME!!! We brought Grayson one year and they had given away a LOT of the stuff (but not all) but they had more than enough food and fun.

Does Boss Hogg ‘OWN’ Mayor McDermott For Using an UNLICESEND Home Improvement Contractor?


The question has been raised that it now appears Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott is “owned” by the openly corrupt ‘Boss Hogg’ Pocomoke City Government controlled for over three decades by City Manager ‘Boss Hogg’ Russ Blake. People in this City are afraid to comment publicly because of a very real fear of retribution by ‘Boss Hogg’ and his cronies but they are coming out of the woodwork privately (the stories would blow your mind) and have been for a long time.

In 2005 Mike Mc Dermott was elected by a large majority in hopes he would put an end to the open corruption and back-room dealings at City Hall. Now he is King ‘Boss Hogg’ Russ Blake’s most vocal supporter, singing praises to the King of Pocomoke and openly violating State Laws even after being given fair warning.

People tell /ask me “Billy you can do so many good things with the Tattler, why do you talk about what goes on at City Hall?

The reason is simple; they are openly corrupt, treat the citizens as peons and abuse unbridled, absolute power, in a manner which is very un-American. The purpose of the Pocomoke Tattler was and is to expose the openly corrupt Pocomoke City Government and clean the crooks out of City Hall. When that is done we will be very content to contain ourselves to local news & events.

The GOOD people do not want us to cower in fear like the citizens of Pocomoke City have been forced to for over three-decades of one man rule with zero accountability to the public.

The Mayor of Pocomoke City recently used an unlicensed home improvement contractor to paint his house because he was recommended by the City’s unlicensed, un-certified ‘housing inspector’ Harvey Davis, for the job. (everyone knows Harvey does NOTHING without Boss Hogg’s permission)
The Mayor uses unlicensed Home improvement contractors cause King Russ saz it's OK
We notified the Mayor that the contractor was not licensed by the State of Maryland and his response was “…he was recommended by Harvey Davis (Pocomoke city’s unlicensed inspector) and has done lots of work for other people including churches here in Pocomoke…” and “…he told me he was licensed in Virginia & Maryland and I don’t need to do a background check on everyone who works for me…”

The DLLR for the State of Maryland stated that a MHIC license was REQUIRED for this painting job and the person performing the work did not have an MHIC license. They stated even if they did, he would be in violation for not displaying MHIC number on his trucks, signs, contracts and advertising. The lack of licensing does not even address federal EPA violations in the processing of lead based paint, but using a licensed contractor to do the job in a legally compliant manner would have cost the Mayor a few dollars more.

We drove by the ‘job site’ a number of times while taking pictures of X-Councilman Cane’s untagged junk cars of Fourth Street and noticed there were no tarps or receptacle’s to contain the lead based paint, as required by State & Federal laws. The lead paint from the Mayors house is now part of the Pocomoke aquifer, ground & river water because Boss Hogg showed him how to save a few bucks with an unlicensed contractor. (There’s your goat picture)

King ‘Boss Hogg’ Russ Blake and his new biggest fan; Mayor Mike McDermott take the position they are above State laws and that we, the people, should sit down & shut up like everyone else in Pocomoke City has for 32-years.

Now any claims of criminal wrongdoing by those at Pocomoke City Hall are answered with statements like: “You are completely absurd…”

Every other citizen in the State of Maryland has the right to request government documents, except Billy Burke, because he is “completely absurd” in wanting to expose corruption and criminal activity at Pocomoke City Hall.

We never posted anything about the Mayor of Pocomoke City using unlicensed home improvement contractors in the hopes he would do the right thing, but he has not done so and now is one of King ‘Boss Hogg’Russ Blakes staunchest defenders. Click here to read HIS views of how great the ‘King of Pocomoke’ has been during his 32-year reign of unbridled power.
Boss Hogg & Deputy Dawg walking hand in hand down that golden path
The Pocomoke City Government is still openly corrupt and the people had put a lot of faith in Mike McDermott to be the ‘New Sheriff’ and clean house.  We were all wrong…

Being unopposed in the last Mayoral election cycle should be crystal clear proof that Mayor Mike McDermott has gained the favor of the ‘Boss Hogg’ political establishment.

It’s OK for Boss Hogg to destroy ’self-incriminating’ public government documents, after the city has received a FOIA or Maryland Public Information Act request for that document.

It’s OK for a City Councilman to illegally retain his council seat after moving outside his district, even though moving out of ones district is cause for immediate termination of a councilman’s term according to the City Charter. 

It’s OK for Boss Hogg and his unlicensed ‘housing inspector’ and City Code enforcement officer to recommend that Mayor McDermott use an unlicensed home improvement contractor to re-paint his personal residence, regardless of what the law states on the matter, the only person who would enforce that law sent him to you!

It’s Pocomoke… Where Boss Hogg & Deputy Dawg make up the rules as they go…

Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott Calls Destruction of Public Documents Subject to FOIA Request by City Manager ‘Error’


Today in a post on the PocomokeTattler.com blog site, Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott admitted he has been lying to the citizens of Pocomoke City about what happened to City Manager Russell Blake’s illegal, self-dealing employment contract.

The contract is an official public document that was signed by the Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, City Manager and witnessed by the City Attorney on the eve of the 2005 municipal elections.

Mayor McDermott has been telling myself and anyone else who asked (including in writing on this website) that the City Manager ‘Verbally tore up” his illegal employment contract in front of the city council. Today he has stated something totally different:

The City Mangers Employment Contract was destroyed at meeting of the Mayor and Council a month after it was penned. While there was apparently no copy retained (certainly an error), I, for one, recall most of aspects of the document vividly. It was very close in design to the one offerred and accepted by Chief Ervin (which expired in June). The contracts were uncalled for and, at the time, Billy Burke praised the actions of the City Manager in abating the contract.

“Certainly an error”?

No Mr. Mayor destruction of this public document was not an error, it was a criminal act in violation of SG-627 and probably many other statutes.

City Manager Russ Blake should have been terminated on the spot for destruction of a public document.

How can a “sworn law enforcement officer” who is the Mayor and sworn to uphold the laws and rights of the citizens call destruction of a public government document, with an active Maryland Public Information Request (from myself) to copy and review this document, “certainly an error”

SINCE WHEN IS THE DESTRUCTION OF A PUBLIC DOCUMENT SUBJECT TO A FOIA REQUEST NOT A CRIMINAL ACT?

It’s Pocomoke… Where Boss Hogg and Deputy Dawg make up the rules as they go… 

What an insult to myself and all the decent people who elected you, it looks like we all made “an error” too but ours is not illegal, like the “error” you witnessed and have lied about for over 3-years.

I guess that allowing Honiss Cane to illegally retain his City Council seat after moving outside his district, thereby disqualifying himself from the right to retain his seat “certainly an error”

Was taking 3-years to get Councilman Canes junk cars removed from the city another “error”?

Is allowing the crack cocaine concession (which has moved along with Councilman Cane from Fourth Street to Butlers Village) to openly operate with police protection “cetainly an error”?

The contracts were uncalled for and, at the time, Billy Burke praised the actions of the City Manager in abating the contract.

Mr. Mayor I did not “praise the actions of the City Manager” for withdrawing his illegal, self-dealing employment contract signed by the Mayor & Council 11-hours before a municipal election.

I said it was a good start and called you a “p*ssy” for not demanding Russ Blake’s resignation in front of both of our wives.

Boss Hogg & Deputy DawgNow I can add PUBLIC LIAR to P*SSY because its pretty obvious you are now “King Boss Hogg” City Manager Russ Blake’s boy, mouthpiece and defender of the faith.

Take a look at the tumbleweeds blowing down Market Street, look at burnt out slum apartments, look at the vacant lots while you are looking for the 1,200 breadwinner jobs that have left Pocomoke City during the past 32-years the decent people have been disenfranchised by the openly corrupt Pocomoke City Government with its un-elected Dictator Russ Blake pulling all the strings.

Mr Mayor Sir: You act indignant that I continue to call the Pocomoke City Government “Openly Corrupt” while you lie to my face, you lie to the citizens and you stand behind criminals and support their criminal actions.

What do you as a sworn law enforcement officer & public servant call: Destruction of a self-dealing, incriminating, PUBLIC document which has been properly FOIA’d from a citizen, by the person who is being incriminated by that document?

Oooops They Did it Again…


Buffalo Police batter their way into wrong house By T.J. Pignataro NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: 08/18/08 12:44 PM Armed with a battering ram and shotguns, Buffalo police looking for heroin broke down the door and stormed the lower apartment of a West Side family of eight. The problem is that the Wednesday evening raid should have occurred at an apartment upstairs. And, that’s only the tip of the iceberg, according to Schavon Pennyamon, who lives at the mistakenly raided apartment on Sherwood Street with her husband, Terrell, and six children. Pennyamon alleges that after wrongly breaking into her apartment, police proceeded to strike her epileptic husband in the head with the butt end of a shotgun and point shotguns at her young children before admitting their mistake and then raiding the right apartment. She says she’s left with a broken door, an injured husband, jittery children and — what bothers her most — still no apology from police. “They know they did something wrong and they were still ignorant,” said the 29-year-old Pennyamon. “At first, I just wanted an apology. Now, because they want[ed] to be ignorant and rude, I have to take it to the next level.” She filed a report with the department’s Professional Standards Division and also contacted Mayor Byron W. Brown about the incident. Pennyamon said Friday evening she also has retained a lawyer and intends to pursue legal action. Police brass acknowledge that officers with the Mobile Response and Narcotics units entered the wrong apartment. “As the officers were in the lower apartment, one of the detectives reviewed the search warrant application and realized it was for the upper [apartment],” said Dennis J. Richards, chief of detectives. “It appears to be an honest mistake and we certainly apologize to all involved,” added Michael J. DeGeorge, Buffalo police spokesman. Police declined to comment, however, on Pennyamon’s allegations of assault and other police impropriety. The internal investigation with the Professional Standards Division is now under way to determine exactly what happened. “We wouldn’t be comfortable discussing the internal investigation,” Richards said. “We can say comfortably that over 1,100 search warrants were executed last year and 580 to date this year and that, with such a high volume and such a fast-paced environment, it is understandable that mistakes could happen.” Pennyamon remains unconvinced it was a mistake. She says officers told her they had “raided the house before” and she believes they felt entitled to do it again — warrant or not. “The way they make it seem is ‘we can do whatever we want,’ ” she said. Pennyamon’s troubled by what she says is an arrogance by police officers and an unwillingness to “serve and protect” those who need it. “It’s a sad situation. I’ve always looked up to the police. I’ve always expected them to be on my side.” Pennyamon was called home from her job as a certified nursing assistant at a local health care facility at about 6:30 p. m. Wednesday to find police at her house, her children partially dressed on the porch and her husband — a U.S. Air Force veteran — injured. She said police were rude and unapologetic. It was a harsh welcome to the neighborhood for the family. They’ve only lived at the apartment on Sherwood Street, on the far West Side just south of West Ferry Street, for two weeks after she says they moved from the East Side to escape crime. Now, Pennyamon said, the family already is looking to relocate again. “I don’t know what was going on upstairs, but it gives police no right to bust in my doors,” she said. “That’s just ridiculous.” Richards said police protocol dictates that search warrants are executed by police first announcing their presence and then quickly and forcefully entering a property with guns drawn for their own protection. “Police have been faced with fortified doors and windows. In numerous locations, they’ve been met with individuals armed with weapons or attacking animals,” he said. Pennyamon said the event left her husband with physical injuries and left a lasting impression on the children. She said her husband, Terrell, suffered a dislocated arm after he was yanked up by police during the raid and is expected to return to his doctor Monday to possibly have glass — left behind by the door window police broke to get into the apartment — surgically removed from his foot. Pennyamon’s 5-year-old daughter now sleeps with her. “My 12-year-old and 6-year-old don’t want to be home at all,” she said, adding that her younger children cower or run to the back of the house when they hear anyone approaching. “ ‘That’s the police,’ they say,” Pennyamon said. Police said no arrests were made in the subsequent raid at the upstairs apartment

Gannett Sinking Fast Lays Off 1,000 News Paper Workers


Gannett is going down the tubes and fast folks, they are laying off 1,000 people across the US from its unprofitable newspaper operations.

With the crappy quality of their Eastern Shore publications and worse than crappy attitude by their advertising & sales department all I can say is GOOD RIDDANCE!

I truly hope there will be some quality publications or that our blogging networks will take thier place.

I have spent millions of dollars in advertising and dealt with just about every major publication in the US over the past 20-years. The team that runs the Eastern Shore newspapers by far has to be the most arrogant bunch of assholes I have ever been forced to deal with.

Editorial & Opions aside the people from the Eastern Shore newspaper group simply do not know how treat customers or how to run a profitable business.

With the SBYnews and ll the other blogs and real sources of news, I rarely bother to even go to any Gannett website or pick up one of their poorly produced papers.

To those who play the stock market its time to ‘Short’ your Gannett stock!

McLean-Based Gannett to Cut 1,000 Newspaper JobsMcLean, Va. –

Gannett, the McLean-based publisher of USA Today and 84 other daily newspapers, said that it plans to eliminate 1,000 jobs — including 600 layoffs — across its newspaper operations. USA Today, which suffered 45 job cuts in November, reported that it won’t be affected by the latest round. The cuts, which represent about 3% of the workforce at Gannett’s local newspaper division, come as the newspaper industry continues to experience declining revenues caused by the slumping economy and the shifting of ads to other online sources. Rival publisher Tribune also recently announced a series of cuts, including 100 positions at The Baltimore Sun.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2008-08-14-gannett-job-cuts_N.htm?csp=N008

http://www.gannett.com/

Commentary, news | Aug 18

New Crime Reports Map Available


Ms. Angel Thornes of the Pocomoke City Police Department has worked dillegently over the last couple of months to provide Police Logs for us at the Tattler to post online.

This has proved to be pain in the neck task for not only Ms. Thornes but also the Tattler.

In order to post the documents Ms. Thornes has had to scan them and send them in one type of file then they have to be converted by us into an image file, then resized then they can be posted.  Each sheet has to be done individually and each one takes about 20 minutes.  I’m not sure how long it take to process the sheets on Ms. Thornes end but if she spending anywhere near that amount of time it is too much.

The Tattler had requested the Police Logs to provide our readers with the current acitivities and crimes in our city.  Since the loss of the Worcester County Messenger, we felt that people were simply unaware of what was actually happening in Pocomoke, since we no longer had a newspaper that contained that information.

Last week the Pocomoke Police Department joined a website called Crime Reports.com

Their site provides crime information for communities all over the country, and now Pocomoke City.

The site is a map format that provides information on the crime that occurred the date and the address.

The Tattler will now include CrimeReports.com on the links section of the blogroll titled Pocomoke Crime Reports there is also an additional link of the Pocomoke Police Reports  that are available in a PDF format for your review.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Angel, for all of the time she has put into this, and we would like to thank Cheif Ervin for seeing the need to keep the community abreast of what is happening and allowing the time for Ms. Thornes to do this.

Lost Dog and Owner Reunited!


The Chocolate Lab that was found on 6th Street yesterday has been reunited with her owner.

Thanks to all who took the time out of their day to see that she was kept safe until her owner could be found.

Dog found at 6th and Market Streets


Around Noon today a nice well behaved chocolate labrador retreiver was found wandering at Sixth and Market Streets in Pocomoke City.

Dog found at 6th and Market August 17th

The animal has been taken into custody by Officer Zoe of the Pocomoke City Police Dept, she is an animal lover and is holding the dog at the Station until Animal Control comes to pick her up.

If you know whose dog this is or if its yours, you are not in trouble please call 410-632-1340

In checking their website they have a couple of very cute puppies and kittens available for adoption so if you want a pet click here: http://www.co.worcester.md.us/wcso/animalctrl.htm

Deep thoughts of the Day


“The true hypocrite is the one who ceases to perceive his deception, the one who lies with sincerity”~ André Gide


“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people” ~Spencer Johnson


“Every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime”: Ernest Hemingway


“If we let people see that kind of thing, there would never again be any war”~ Pentagon official explaining why the U.S. military censored graphic footage from the Gulf War

Obama, The Almost-Black Opie Taylor, Gets a Hip Jiggle Vote From Guilty White Females


Barack Obama Opie Taylor

If the white female votes in the presidential elections of 2008 are cast in accordance with their estrogen laced bodily forms, then Barack Hussein Obama’s almost-blackness and potent sexuality will likely make him the “first almost-black president”.More powerful than an intelligent party platform and a comprehension of it is the hidden sexual attraction that a white female has towards a suitable black male. While society still tends to frown upon black-white sexual relationships, Obama’s almost-blackness serves as the racial harmonizing bridge that makes the attraction more plausible and less revolting.

Taken together: the taboo on interracial sex, the exotic flavor of ebony skin, appendage size rumors, and Obama’s great flashing white teeth and Mr. Potato Head boyish stick on facial features, it will all be too great a stimulus for white females to not cast their votes for.

The black vote for Obama is certainly in the bag. Blacks don’t care whether the presidential nominee is 50 Cent, Louis Farrakhan, Snoop Dog, or Obama—they’re down with whoever it is as long as they are black, or almost-black which is probably black enough. The logic there is that a black or almost-black president will presumably tend to black ‘needs’ better than a white president.

But white female sexualized voting, and perhaps a sprinkling of white male sexualized voting (one never knows in today’s climate of moral debauchery), is definitely the key to success for Barack Hussein Obama. Toss white guilt into Obama’s magical bag of voter attraction together with his flirtations with Islamic conservatism, and a steamy romp with forbidden pleasures rises to the female’s delicate nose. Though such an encounter will never come to pass except for a lucky few, unless Obama ratchets up his game to Wilt Chamberlain levels, the female mind thrives on futile possibilities—a female’s imagination is her reality.

Can you smell what the Obama campaign is cooking? Obama’s handlers should be touting him as the grown up looking almost-black Opie Taylor from The Andy Griffith Show. Like Opie, Obama is cute and “clean and articulate”, but the deciding difference for white female voters that propels Obama to presidential stardom is that he is sexually mature and endowed with forbidden exoticism. That sort of combination never fails to arouse excitement with the guiltily preoccupied and mentally bereft estrogen incensed crowd.

Written on Monday, July 28th, 2008 by Outraged Richard.
Have a Blessed Day.