MIAMI (AP) - Hurricane Earl is weakening slightly but it's still
packing winds near 125 mph as it blows toward North Carolina's
coast.
Earl is now a Category 3 hurricane, and it's expected to pass
the Outer Banks of North Carolina as a powerful storm tonight.
The Canadian Hurricane Centre has added a hurricane watch for
Nova Scotia to the long list of warnings and watches in effect for
a huge swath of the U.S. East Coast.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate
says residents and tourists can no longer afford to wait on the
next forecast to see how close the eye of the storm might get.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

BRIDGEVILLE, Md. - Delaware State Police are now releasing the name of the victim killed in a crash near Bridgeville Sunday. Police say 58-year-old Bruce Williams of Georgetown died at the scene from injuries sustained from the crash. Police say the crash occurred Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Redden and Chaplin's Chapel Roads. They believe 26-year-old Abigail Carmean of Greenwood failed to stop at a stop sign, causing Williams to smash into her. A Good Samaritan stopped and began pulling the passengers out. Police say Carmean and her two children were hospitalized, as well as two passengers from the other car who are listed in critical condition.
Police say after their investigation they will prepare charges against Carmean.

CAPE HENLOPEN, Del. (AP) - Federal officials say tropical storm
force winds from Hurricane Earl could bring coastal flooding and
beach erosion to the Delmarva Peninsula and wind damage away from
the coast.
National Hurricane Center director Bill Read says damage to
trees and power outages are possible in inland areas, and that
minor tidal flooding is possible in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
Officials expect that the storm surge along the lower Chesapeake
could range from three to five feet, with a surge of one to three
feet on the Delaware Bay.
Warnings and watches for hurricanes or tropical storms extended
from North Carolina to almost the Canadian border Thursday.
A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning was in effect from
Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island and the Maryland beaches.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

REISTERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - Gov. Martin O'Malley says the path of
Hurricane Earl appears to be heading further away from Ocean City.
O'Malley met Thursday with state emergency management officials.
Ocean City still is expected to get stormy weather early Friday,
with rough surf and winds from 30 to 40 miles per hour.
Richard Muth, director of the state's emergency management
agency, is advising travelers to avoid driving to Ocean City
between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland environmental officials want to hear
from the public about the state's Chesapeake Bay restoration plan.
The Department of the Environment has scheduled four hearings on
the plan that was submitted Wednesday.
The hearings are Sept. 27 at South Hagerstown High School; Sept.
30 at the Talbot County Community Center; Oct. 4 at the Maryland
State Fair Grounds and Oct. 6 at the Prince George's County Soil
Conservation District office in Upper Marlboro.
Wednesday was the deadline for the six bay watershed states to
deliver plans to the federal Environmental Protection Agency for
meeting goals under a restoration strategy ordered by President
Barack Obama.
The environmental group Environment Maryland says the plan
should be more detailed, but is headed in the right direction.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Employees are returning to Discovery
Channel's headquarters, a day after a gunman carrying explosive
devices entered the building and took hostages.
Workers started streaming into the building before 10 a.m. They
were greeted with smiles by security and other staff and some were
hugging security workers as they came in.
Chris Brown of TLC returned for his keys. Brown said he was
wearing the same clothes he wore to work yesterday because he was
unable to go home. He says there will be a companywide meeting at
11 a.m. with the channel's president.
A corporate spokeswoman, Catherine Frymark, says the counselors
will be offering assistance to employees and that the building will
be open for limited hours.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

SALISBURY, Md. - A Salisbury man has been arrested in connection to a robbery at an ATM. Police have charged 37-year-old Paul Gomez with robbery, theft and second degree assault.

Police say the robbery occurred on August 31 around 2:54 in the afternoon. Police say the victim was at First Shore Federal Bank on Mt. Herman Road getting money out of the machine when he was approached from behind. The victim says the suspect road up on a bike and demanded money. Police say as the victim turned away from the ATM machine, the suspect grabbed the money and then fled from the area on a bicycle. Police say information leading to the identification of the Gomez was based upon a response from the public following the release of the ATM surveillance video.

BUXTON, N.C. (AP) - Tourists are largely gone from North
Carolina's Outer Banks as Hurricane Earl heads toward the Eastern
Seaboard.
Residents who stayed behind say they are prepared to face down
the powerful hurricane that is expected to pass just off Cape
Hatteras around midnight.
A National Hurricane Center spokesman says there's still concern
the core of the storm could shift a little farther to the west and
have a significant impact on the immediate coastline. The present
track keeps it off shore.
The Hurricane Center in Miami issued a tropical storm warning
early today for the coast of Long Island in New York and a
hurricane watch has been issued for areas of Massachusetts. A
hurricane warning already was in effect for the coast of North
Carolina.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
is extending hours at its offices to serve thousands of people
affected by a state computer crash.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that the DMV expected to
resume renewing driver's licenses Thursday.
All DMV offices will close at 6 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. on
Thursday and Friday. On Saturday, some offices will close at 6 p.m.
instead of noon.
The DMV says it also is adding 20 days to most drivers' licenses
and identification cards that expired during the computer outage.
Last week's computer crash at one of the Virginia Information
Technologies Agency's sites affected 26 agencies. Officials said
Wednesday that computer access has been restored to all agencies.
---
Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch,
http://www.timesdispatch.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Engineers don't expect to see another gusher
when they delicately remove a cap on the blown-out Gulf of Mexico
well that spawned the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
The planned removal of the cap Thursday is a prelude to raising
the massive blowout preventer that failed to prevent the disaster.
But the government wasn't offering a guarantee no more oil would
leak. Plans were being made for oil collection vessels to be on
standby in case of a problem. Officials have been waiting for rough
seas at the site to calm down before continuing with the removal of
the blowout preventer.
They plan to begin removing the cap around midday.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

 WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - With Hurricane Earl steaming toward the
Atlantic Seaboard, Delaware surfers and other enthusiasts have been
talking about the chance to experience the large waves it may
produce.
The National Weather Service says waves along the state's resort
communities are expected to go from seven feet Thursday to as high
as 12 feet on Friday.
The News Journal reports that Dale Loeser, who owns Rohoboth's
Quiet Storm surf shop, says: "The talk is that everybody is trying
to figure out a game plan on where to go and what time."
Earl was expected to reach the North Carolina coast late
Thursday and wheel to the northeast, staying offshore while making
its way up the Eastern Seaboard.

---
Information from: The (Wilmington, Del.) News Journal,
http://www.delawareonline.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

DETROIT (AP) - Auto sales are no longer helping to lead an
economic recovery.
Sales slipped last month -- at big companies like GM, Ford and
Toyota, and at smaller automakers like Subaru.
When the final sales numbers are in, they could total fewer than
1 million new vehicles for the month -- making it the worst August
in 27 years.
GM's August sales fell 7 percent from July, and an even sharper
25 percent from August of 2009, when they were boosted by the
government's Cash for Clunkers rebates.
Ford saw sales slip 5 percent from July, while Toyota's fell 12
percent.
Subaru sales slipped 7.2 percent. Kia Motors Corp. sales fell 8
percent and Hyundai's were essentially flat.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

DOVER, Del. (AP) - State transportation officials are urging
residents to drive with caution after four people were killed in
two motor vehicle accidents last weekend, and with the Labor Day
weekend coming up.
Alison Kirk, community relations officer for the Office of
Highway Safety, says most crashes are due to driver error.
This year, 69 people have been killed on Delaware roads,
compared with 78 at the same time last year.
Kirk says during Labor Day weekend, law enforcement officers
statewide will be looking for impaired, aggressive and inattentive
drivers.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

ELKTON, Md. (AP) - The State Fire Marshal's Offices say deputies
have charged two inmates at the Cecil County Detention Center with
setting a fire in their cell.
Twenty-eight-year-old John Boyce and 48-year-old Ricardo
Castillo were arrested Wednesday and charged with arson and other
offenses.
Officials say the fire broke out Monday when the men ignited
clothes and threw them on the floor of the common use area outside
their cell.
Correctional officers put out the blaze.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

WASHINGTON (AP) - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he
will work hard to try to strike a long-lasting peace deal with
Israel, but that Israel must agree to a full freeze on all its
settlement activity in Palestinian territories.
Abbas also is calling for the release of all Palestinian
prisoners.
Appearing at the White House on Wednesday evening, Abbas said he
recognized the "the difficulties, challenges and obstacles"
ahead. But, he said, people of the region are looking for peace and
justice for the Palestinian people.
He followed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in remarks
before a working dinner hosted by President Barack Obama.
Abbas and Netanyahu will hold the first direct
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks in nearly two years on Thursday.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Miranda Lambert has made CMA Awards
history with a record nine nominations.
That's the most garnered by a female artist, and she'll be able
to celebrate with close friend Lady Antebellum and fiance Blake
Shelton. Lady A earned the second most nominations with five and
Shelton was next with four, tied with Zac Brown Band.
Lambert and Dierks Bentley announced nominations in five
categories Wednesday morning on "Good Morning America." The first
seven categories were announced Tuesday in Nashville.
Lambert, Lady A, Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and Keith Urban
were nominated for entertainer of the year, the Country Music
Association's top award.
The CMA Awards show will be aired live on ABC on Nov. 10 in
Nashville.
---
Online:
http://www.cmaworld.com

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

NEW YORK (AP) - There's Madonna, Oprah and now ... "Conan."
Conan O'Brien took the simple approach Wednesday in announcing
the name of his new talk show on TBS.
"Conan" will kick off Nov. 8.
He posted a YouTube video announcing the show's name to his
fans. He scrawled the name on a white sheet of paper using a black
marking pen.
O'Brien has finished a comedy concert tour. He was nominated for
an Emmy Award for his short-lived stint as NBC "Tonight" show
host that ended amid much drama in January, but lost to Jon Stewart
and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."
---
TBS is owned by Time Warner Inc.
---
Online:
http://www.teamcoco.com
http://www.tbs.com/


(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - A law enforcement official briefed on
the case of suspect who held three hostages at the Discovery
Channel's headquarters in Silver Spring says the suspect has died.
Police shot the suspect, and three hostages escaped after a
four-hour standoff.
Officials said the man was upset with the Discovery Channel's
programming. Police spent several hours Wednesday negotiating with
him after he burst into the suburban Washington building, waving a
handgun and with canisters strapped to his body.
Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger said an explosive
device may have detonated, and the suspect may have brought other
devices into the building. He said as far as he knows, the 1,900
people who work in the building were able to get out safely.
---
Associated Press writer Adam Goldman contributed to this story
from Washington.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
 

SALISBURY, Md. - Republican candidate Julie Brewington is hoping to take over the House of Delegates District 38A seat.
Brewington says she's a working class mom trying to bring change to the Eastern Shore.
Brewington wants to drop the sales tax back to 5 percent, and get regulations back in check for watermen and farmers.
Brewington also says it's important to get small businesses back on the shore.
"We have a huge deficit in this state and the way to fill in that gap is to get more people back to work, so that would be my very first mission," said Brewington.
Mike McCready is the only Democrat in the race.
The other three Republicans include Charles Otto, John Cannon and John Phoebus.

FRUITLAND, Md. - Organizers trying to bring an ATV park into the city of Fruitland for a safe place for children to ride their vehicles, are facing major opposition.
After a live demonstration last week, Erin Fitzgerald is still not convinced about the idea.
"My major concern is the depreciated home value of my home," said Fitzgerald, whose lived in her house for four years. "At the demonstration I started to wonder who the supporters were, I did not recognize any of their faces as being neighbors."
So she started a petition going door to door speaking to more than 100 people. Eighty-nine were against the park, but organizers stand behind their idea.
"This is about our kids, we need a safe place to give our kids to ride their vehicles," said Mary Nelson, who has been working hard to move the project forward.
According to the city, the allowed decibel level for Fruitland is 65.
A report taken by city officials during last week's demonstration shows all readings except for one were well above that limit.
"That would definitely be a concern that they would be over the decibel level, which would basically put them in a position of being in violation of our city ordinance," said Rick Konrad, the City Manager of Fruitland.
But Nelson says the readings are not accurate.
"They took them from 24 feet, which the city ordinance states that we have 50 feet from the noise source," says Nelson.
For Fitzgerald it's more than just the noise, she says the park will cause more dirt and more traffic.
"I'm sorry but I can't come up with a reasonable explanation for that location," said Fitzgerald.
Both sides of the issue regarding the ATV park will have a chance to have their voices heard at a planning commission meeting on September 7th at 7:00 p.m.

BALTIMORE, MD - The Social Security Administration is sending out social security checks early. The Postal Service delivered "third of the month" checks today in areas that are threatened by Hurricane Earl. The goal of the early delivery is to ensure the checks are received before Friday, when the storms worst affects are expected to begin. The remaining checks will be delivered on Thursday, September 2.

DOVER, Del. (AP) - State transportation officials are urging
residents to drive with caution after four people were killed in
two motor vehicle accidents last weekend, and with the Labor Day
weekend coming up.
Alison Kirk, community relations officer for the Office of
Highway Safety, says most crashes are due to driver error.
This year, 69 people have been killed on Delaware roads,
compared with 78 at the same time last year.
Kirk says during Labor Day weekend, law enforcement officers
statewide will be looking for impaired, aggressive and inattentive
drivers.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's annual ban on feeding deer is
now in effect.
The ban went into effect Wednesday and will continue through the
first Saturday in January for most parts of the commonwealth.
Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah and Warren counties are under a
year-round ban as part of a state management plan for chronic
wasting disease.
The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries says
feeding deer can create several problems, including disease
transmission and overpopulation of deer.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Authorities say a man upset with the
Discovery Channel's environmental programming took several people
hostage at gunpoint at the company's headquarters Wednesday while
wearing canisters strapped to his body.
Police were negotiating by phone with the gunman, who burst into
the suburban Washington building about 1 p.m. waving a handgun.
The gunman took what Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas
Manger described as a "small number of hostages" but he did not
say how many. He also did not say what the man wants or whether
anyone was hurt.
Manger said most of the 1,900 people who work in the building
were able to get out safely.
A law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity
because the investigation is ongoing said authorities have
identified James J. Lee as the likely suspect. The official says
police believed he had a handgun but had not confirmed that he had
explosives.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

MIAMI (AP) - Forecasters say Hurricane Earl has become a
Category 4 storm with top sustained winds of 135 mph as the
dangerous and powerful storm heads toward the East Coast.
Behind Earl and Tropical Storm Fiona in the Atlantic, the
seventh tropical storm of the season formed. Forecasters said
Wednesday that Gaston is the fourth tropical storm to form in the
last 11 days.
Gaston's top sustained winds are about 40 mph.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Amtrak says it's canceling some Virginia
passenger train routes because of Hurricane Earl.
Amtrak says the cancellations involve routes between the
Tidewater area and Newport News. The changes announced Wednesday
run Thursday through Saturday.
On Thursday, Amtrak says trains 67 and 66 will end in Richmond
instead of Newport News and Train 95 will end at Washington, D.C.
instead of Newport News.
On Friday, Train 66 will start from Richmond instead of Newport
News, while Train 94 will originate in Washington, instead of
Newport News. Trains 95 and 83 will end their routes in Washington
instead of Newport News and Train 78 is canceled.
Saturday, Amtrak says Train 194 will start in Richmond instead
of Newport News and Train 82 will originate in Washington instead
of Newport News.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WILMINGTON, Del. - A major boost for counterdrug efforts in Delaware.

On Wednesday, Senators Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman announced that the Delaware National Guard will receive $300,000 to use towards cracking down on drug use.

The Delaware National Guard's Counterdrug Task Force (CDTF) provides unique military support and resources to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The funding will allow the Guard to expand its drug education program, "Stay on Track," to multiple middle schools across the state.

DELMARVA - The unofficial end of summer is not the only thing that is bearing down on people on the East Coast. Hurricane Earl, which has already throttled parts of the Caribbean, is now heading towards the Atlantic.

47's Storm Team has been keeping an eye on the eye of this strong storm. WMDT's Meteorologist Marc Adamo said, "It seems like right now the brunt of it is in North Carolina but here on Delmarva, along the coast, along the water, you always have to be ready for this."

In Ocean City, it is hard to imagine anything is coming, given Wednesday's 90 degree weather and sunny skies, but town officials met to hammer down their game plan. Joe Theobald, the director of Ocean City Emergency Services, "the preparations are in place . . . Batten down the hatchets, it's going to be a lousy day here on Friday, stay indoors." Ocean City's Mayor Rick Meehan, said "we're going to have rough surf and beach erosion, I think these are all things we can handle."

Even though the resort town has seen its share of storms, Patty DuBuque, the senior vice president of Legum & Norman Inc., said she is ready for the worst. Her company owns more than 100 coastal properties. DuBuque said, "we are very concerned, we've been prepping our managers, folks down here on vacation."

Officials across Delmarva worry that residents will blow off Earl's potential. However, forecasters are warning people that even a slight change in the storm's track could make a huge difference.

Virginia has declared a state of emergency. Officials are urging residents to pay close attention to the storm and review evacuation and shelter plans.

The Sussex County Emergency Operations Center has released a similar message. The EOC director said the public should take the storm serious, and prepare themselves in case conditions turn out to be more serious than the current forecast predicts. First State officials said they are expecting tidal flooding in low-lying areas, rough surf, rip currents and beach erosion.

DOVER, Del. (AP) - Delaware State Police are looking for two men
and a woman who rushed into a man's apartment in Dover,
pistol-whipped him and robbed him.
It happened Monday about 11 p.m. in the Autumn Moon Apartments.
Troopers say as a friend was leaving the man's apartment, the three
suspects rushed inside. The two men had handguns and attacked the
man in the apartment. The three fought until the victim was
pistol-whipped.
The suspects took a laptop computer and fled the apartment.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

GEORGETOWN, Del. - Today marks one year since the tragic murder of Georgetown police officer Chad Spicer.

Spicer was gunned down after responding to a report of gunshots outside a McDonald's in Georgetown. Two suspects were arrested soon after the shooting including the man accused of pulling the trigger, Derrick Powell. There was an intense manhunt for a third suspect, who was arrested days later.

Wednesday, a judge decided to postpone Powell's trial, which was set to begin in October. Defense attorneys said they requested the delay so they can do more research to support their client's insanity defense.

GEORGETOWN, Del. (AP) - State police are continuing to defend
their seizure of key evidence against accused pedophile
pediatrician Earl Bradley amid questions about their execution of a
search warrant.
A Delaware judge resumed a hearing Wednesday on a defense motion
to exclude the evidence because police exceeded the bounds of the
search warrant.
The evidence, including digital videos, is key to the
prosecution's case against Bradley, who is charged with sexually
assaulting more than 100 patients over more than a decade before
being arrested in December.
But the judge himself appeared to question the actions of
police, asking a detective why investigators seized computer
equipment from a building that clearly was not identified in the
warrant executed in December at Bradley's office complex in Lewes.


(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

BERLIN, Md. - A Pennsylvania man is facing charges after he allegedly murdered a woman by running her over with his car multiple times. Police have charged 58-year-old Steven Frederick Molin of Darby, Pennsylvania with first and second degree murder as well as manslaughter.

Police say the incident occurred last night on Carey Road in Berlin. Officers responded to a complaint of a serious car accident. Investigators learned that Molin was the operator of the car. Molin told police that his mother fell out of the moving car and that he backed up after he discovered she had fallen out of his car. Police say he had driven over the victim 2 to 3 times before stopping the vehicle.

After further investigation, a Worcester County Forensic Detective identified evidence that was not consistent with the reported incident. Based upon the interview and forensic evidence Molin was then charged. He is currently being held in the Worcester County Detention Center without Bond. He is scheduled for a bond review tomorrow.

The victim was later identified as 85-years-old Emily Belle Molin of Darby, Pennsylvania. She was transported to PRMC where she had passed away from injuries sustained from a motor vehicle.

The W.C.B.I. Is still investigating the incident. Police say anyone travelling on Carey Road between August 31, 2010 and September 1, 2010 and saw anything suspicious is urged to call W.C.B.I. at 410-352-3476 or the Worcester County Sheriff's Office at 410-632-1111.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Montgomery County police say a gunman has
entered the Discovery Communications building in Silver Spring and
has taken at least one person hostage.
Footage from WJLA-TV showed police SUVs and cruisers with their
lights on.
Cpl. Dan Friz told the channel that a gunman was in the
building.
A person inside the building told The Associated Press says the
man had something strapped to his chest and has hostages. The
person refused to be identified, saying people inside have been
told not to speak to the media.
Police did not immediately return calls from The Associated
Press.
Sheree Mixell, assistant special agent in charge of the
Baltimore field division office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives, said agents are responding to the scene.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) - Comptroller Peter Franchot says that while
Maryland's revenues for fiscal year 2010 were above dismal
estimates, the state's baseline revenues declined by 3.7 percent.
Franchot said Wednesday that Maryland would have to grow its
revenues at a rate of 14 percent for four straight years to get
back to where the state was before the recession.
On the bright side, the state will have $344 million of fund
balance, which will help address next year's $1.5 billion deficit.
T. Eloise Foster, Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget secretary, says
the state saw modest gains in personal income tax, corporate income
tax and sales tax collections for April, May and June above what
was previously expected.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

WASHINGTON (AP) - Montgomery County police say a gunman has
entered the Discovery Communications building in Silver Spring.
Footage from WJLA-TV showed police SUVs and cruisers with their
lights on.
Cpl. Dan Friz told the channel that a gunman was in the
building.
Police did not immediately return calls from The Associated
Press.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)