TWO STORIES AT NEARLY OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO ARE NEWSWORTHY ITEMS ON THE NATIONAL SCENE THIS MORNING….
THE 2012 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION BEGINS IN TAMPA TODAY, SHORTENED SLIGHTLY AS IT IS BY TROPICAL DISTURBANCE ISSAC. SCHEDULED SPEAKERS BEFORE THE G-O-P FAITHFUL ON THIS FIRST DAY WILL INCLUDE CHRIS CHRISTIE AND ANN ROMNEY BUT ALSO RICK SANTORUM, THE ONE CANDIDATE DURING THE PRIMARIES WHO CAME CLOSEST TO MOUNTING A SERIOUS CHALLENGE TO MITT ROMNEY’S SEEMING INEVITABILITY. PARTY UNITY AND HARMONY WILL BE MAINTAINED BY THE INCLUSION OF SANTORUM AND BY A RULE CHANGE THAT WILL PREVENT A POSSIBLE INSURRECTION BY DELEGATES WHO ARE ALSO SUPPORTERS OF TEXAS LIBERTARIAN CONGRESSMAN RON PAUL.
ISAAC IS NOW PROGRESSING IN A NORTHWESTERLY COURSE TOWARD NEW ORLEANS AND IS EXPECTED TO REACH HURRICANE STRENGTH JUST BEFORE HITTING THE LOUISIANA MAINLAND AND THE BIG EASY. FORECASTERS WITH THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER SAY A “SIGNIFICANT” STORM SURGE AND THREAT OF FLODDING CAN BE EXPECTED. ISAAC’S MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE VERY CLOSE TO HURRICANE STRENGTH, BLOWING AT SEVENTY MILES PER HOUR.
IN ALL PROBABILITY THE METROPOLITAN TRANSIT AUTHORITY WILL CHALLENGE A RULING BY STATE SUPREME COURT LAST WEEK STRIKING DOWN THE MASS TRANSIT AGENCY’S PAYROLL TAX ON CONSTITUTIONAL GROUNDS. WHILE THEY’RE UNABLE TO COUNT ON THE UNPOPULAR PAYROLL TAX FOR REVENUE FOR THE MOMENT, THE M-T-A IS MARKING THE ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF HURRICANE IRENE BY STATING THE TOTAL LOSSES FROM THAT HISTORIC WEATHER EVENT AMOUNT TO 65 (M) MILLION DOLLARS. BY FAR THE LARGEST PORTION OF THAT IS THE 20 (M) MILLION IN DAMAGES SUSTAINED TO METRO-NORTH’S PORT JERVIS COMMUTER RAIL LINE IN ORANGE AND ROCKLAND COUNTIES. REPAIRS TO GET THAT VITAL RAIL LINK BACK UP AND RUNNING AFTER WASHOUTS OF TRACK BEDS AND OTHER HEAVY DAMAGE WERE COMPLETED AHEAD OF SCHEDULE LAST FALL.
AID TO FARMERS IN THE BLACK DIRT OF ORANGE COUNTY IS AN ISSUE BOTH CAMPS IN THE 18TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL RACE ARE TAKING UP AS THE RACE HEATS UP BEWTEEN REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT NAN HAYWORTH AND CHALLENGER SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, A DEMOCRAT. MALONEY, VISITING J AND A FARM IN GOSHEN MONDAY CONTUINED A CAMPAIGN THEME OF DISTINGUISHING HIMSELF AS SOMEONE WHO BETTER UNDERSTANDS THE NEEDS OF WORKING FOLK — INCLUDING THE REGION’S FARMERS — THAN HIS INCUMBENT REPUBLICAN FOE HAYWORTH. MALONEY SPEAKS OFTEN OF THE TEA PARTY AND HIS OPPONENTS’ ASSOCIATION WITH THAT MOVEMENT IN REPUBLICAN POLITICS. WHEN SHE FIRST RAN TWO YEARS AGO OUSTING DEMOCRAT JOHN HALL REPRESENTING THE OLD 19TH DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, SOME POLITICAL WAGS REFERRED TO HAYWORTH AS “THE IVY LEAGUE TEA PARTIER,” A REFERENCE TO HER BACKGROUND AS AN OPTHAMLOLOGIST IN WESTCHESTER COUNTY. MALONEY PLAINLY ACCUSED HAYWORTH MONDAY OF PLACING THE FISCAL PRIORITIES OF HER TEA PARTY FELLOWS ABOVE THE NEEDS OF HER CONSTITUENTS AS BLACK DIRT FARMERS ARE STILL WISHING FOR HELP TO CONTROL FLOODING AND CROP LOSSES LIKE WHAT THEY SUFFERED ONE YEAR AGO DURING HURRICANE IRENE. HAYWORTH HERSELF WAS IN ORANGE COUNTY MONDAY AS WELL, VISITING OCCUPATIONS, INC. IN THE TOWN OF WALLKILL. HAYWORTH HAS ALSO BEEN MAKING THE ROUNDS OF CABLE NEWS AND RADIO TALK PROGRAMS LATELY.
JUST AFTER THE MIDNIGHT HOUR SATURDAY ON LIBERTY STREET IN NEWBURGH, CITY POLICE GOT AN ASSIST FROM COPS IN THE NEARBY TOWNS OF NEW WINDSOR AND NEWBURGH IN TRYING TO CONTROL A SITUATION WHERE ABOUT 60 PEOPLE FOUGHT WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH POLICE. MONDAY IN NEWBURGH, MORE SCUFFLES WITH POLICE ENSUED AT A RALLY FOR MICHAEL LEMBHARD, WHO MIGHT HAVE CELEBRATED HIS 23RD BIRTHDAY MONDAY. LEMBHARD WAS SHOT — ALSO ALONG LIBERTY STREET — IN MARCH AS CITY COPS WERE PURSUING HIM ON A NUMBER OF WARRANTS. THAT PURSUIT LED INTO A HOUSE WHERE LEMBHARD IS SAID TO HAVE GRABBED A KNIFE, FIRST THREATENING HIMSELF AND THEN LUNGING AT POLICE WHO FIRED SEVERAL SHOTS, KILLING LEMBHARD. THAT INCIDENT WAS THE LAST STRAW FOR SOME RESIDENTS OF NEIGHBORHOODS WHO SAY POLICE ACTED EXCESSIVELY IN SHOOTING AND KILLING LEMBHARD. THEY SAY HIS DEATH REFLECTS A LONG-STANDING PATTERN OF MISTREATMENT. AS WITH THE EARLIER INCIDENT OVER THE WEEKEND, TOWN OF NEWBURGH AND NEW WINDSOR OFFICERS ALONG WITH COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES WERE CALLED IN TO HELP DEAL WITH A SITUATION WHERE ROCKS AND BOTTLES WERE BEING HURLED. A PROBE OF LEMBHARD’S DEATH BY AN ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY EXONERATED THE CITY POLICE OFFCERS INVOLVED IN THE INCIDENT WHICH TOOK PLACE ON THE EVENING OF MARCH SEVENTH.
STATE POLICE HAVE ARRESTED A PINE BUSH MAN, 50-YEAR-OLD ROBERT MARRA FOR THE FELONY OF UNLAWFUL SURVEILLANCE AND A MISDEMEANOR FOR CHILD ENDANGERMENT. TROOPERS SAY MARRA WAS USING A DIGITAL TRAIL CAMERA FOR THE PURPOSE OF PHOTOGRAPHING A 15-YEAR-OLD FEMALE VISITOR TO HIS HOME WHO WAS STAYING IN A BEDROOM, THIS OVER APPROXIMATELY A WEEK’S TIME.
NEW YORK STATE POLICE OUT OF MONROE MADE TWO ARRESTS LAST WEEK AFTER A TRAFFIC STOP ON ROUTE 17 YIELDED DRUGS INCLUDING HEROIN, HYPODERMIC NEEDLES AND VALIUM. 39-YEAR-OLD RONALD SMITH AND 21-YEAR-OLD JAIME OLVERA WERE PULLED OVER LATE THURSDAY EVENING AND WERE ARRESTED WITHOUT INCIDENT: BOTH ARE SAID TO BE RESIDENTS OF SULLIVAN COUNTY. SMITH IS HELD WITHOUT BAIL IN THE ORANGE COUNTY JAIL AS HE’S ALSO IN VIOLATION OF PAROLE. OLVERA IS IN THE COUNTY LOCKUP ON CASH BAIL OF 25-THOUSAND DOLLARS.
****
Headlines provided by Bob Schaeffer for WALL Radio 1340 AM
Mark West in the Morning with Bob Schaeffer and Chris Mitchell
