NO SURPRISES CAME FROM THE RESULTS OF TUESDAY’S WINNER-TAKE-ALL REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY IN FLORIDA WITH MITT ROMNEY WINNING DECISIVELY, MAKING OFF WITH THE PRIZE OF THAT STATE’S FIFTY DELEGATES TO THE G-O-P CONVENTION THIS SUMMER, ALSO TAKING PLACE IN FLORIDA. HOWEVER, SECOND-PLACE FINISHER NEWT GINGRICH, WHO VOWED TO FIGHT ON TO THE CONVENTION IN TAMPA DESPITE HIS LOSS FAILED TO CONGRATULATE ROMNEY ON HIS VICTORY, A BREACH OF ETIQUETTE AND A REFLECTION OF THE FIERCE BATTLE WAGED BETWEEN THE FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER AND FORMER GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS. RON PAUL, WHO CAME IN LAST WITH JUST SEVEN PERCENT OF THE VOTE IS CALLING FOR AN APOLOGY FROM GINGRICH FOR THAT SLIGHT.

A SIX-LANE STRETCH OF INTERSTATE 75 SOUTH OF GAINESVILLE FLORIDA HAD BEEN CLOSED TO TRAFFIC SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT EARLY ON SUNDAY DUE TO A MIXTURE OF FOG AND SMOKE FROM A BRUSH FIRE. THEN, A SERGEANT AND LIEUTENANT FROM THE STATE HIGHWAY PATROL MADE THE DECISION TO OPEN THE ROAD TO TRAFFIC BECAUSE CONDITIONS HAD IMPROVED. THAT DECISION WAS GRAVELY FATEFUL, FOR AT AROUND FOUR A.M., VEHICLES BEGAN PILING UP ONE AFTER THE OTHER, SOME CARS BECOMING TRAPPED UNDER TRACTOR TRAILER RIGS AND OTHERS BURSTING INTO FLAMES. EIGHTEEN INJURED SURVIVORS FROM THE HORRIFIC MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH ARE HOSPITALIZED. THE NUMBER OF DEAD NOW OFFICIALLY STANDS AT ELEVEN WITH THE DISCOVERY OF YET ANOTHER BODY IN THE CHARRED, MANGLED MESS LEFT BEHIND. AND SOME OF THE VICTIMS STILL HAVE YET TO BE IDENTIFIED.

THE TALIBAN, WITH SUPPORT FROM PAKISTAN COULD BE IN A POSITION TO RE-ENTER AFGHANISTAN ONCE N-A-T-O FORCES PULL OUT OF THAT PART OF THE WORLD. THAT’S THE GIST OF A CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT FROM U-S MILITARY OFFICIALS, AND THE EXISTENCE OF THAT SECRET REPORT HAS BEEN CONFIRMED BY A LIEUTENANT COLONEL WITH THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE. THAT’S HARDLY GOOD NEWS FOR THE CONTINGENT OF TROOPS STILL FIGHTING THERE, MANY OF THEM AMERICANS. JUST THE SAME, JIMMIE CUMMINGS OF THE I-S-A-F SAYS THE REPORT SHOULD NOT BE THOUGHT OF AS EITHER A STRATEGIC STUDY OR ANALYSIS, BUT RATHER A LIST OF OPINIONS FROM TALIBAN DETAINEES COMPILED OVER A PERIOD OF TIME. THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS NOW IN ITS ELEVENTH YEAR.

BY ALL ACCOUNTS, AN INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING BY SOCIAL NETWORKING GIANT FACEBOOK COULD WELL BE THE LARGEST EVER FILED BY A SILICON VALLEY COMPANY. THE ANNOUNCEMENT HAS WALL STREET TALKING AND SOURCES SAY THE PAPERWORK THAT WOULD ALLOW FACEBOOK TO GO PUBLIC IS TO BE FILED LATER THIS MORNING. IF FACEBOOK RAISES TEN (B) BILLION AT THE OUTSET, THE COMPANY COULD BE VALUED AT FROM 75 TO 100 (B) BILLION, MAKING IT ONE OF THE BIGGEST INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS EVER, PERIOD.

IF THE EMPIRE STATE AND ITS SCHOOL DISTRICTS DON’T FALL IN LINE WITH NEW TEACHER EVALUATIONS IT COULD COST THEM ONE-POINT-SEVEN (B) BILLION IN AID, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK CAMPAIGN FOR ACHIEVEMENT NOW. THE INTEREST GROUP RELEASED A REPORT TUESDAY WHICH STATES THAT IF THE NEW TEACHER EVAL STANDARDS AREN’T ADOPTED, IT WOULD NOT ONLY JEOPARDIZE THE 700 (M) MILLION IN AID ALREADY PROMISED BY GOVERNOR CUOMO FOR 2012, BUT COULD ALSO RESULT IN THE LOSS OF AN ADDITIONAL ONE (B) BILLION, THUS ADDING UP TO THAT ONE-POINT-SEVEN (B) BILLION IN BOTH FEDERAL AND STATE AID OVER THE NEXT 24 MONTHS. THE EVALUATION STANDARDS HAVE BEEN O-K’D BY LAWMAKERS IN ALBANY, THUS SECURING THE 700 (M) MILLION IN FEDERAL RACE TO THE TOP FUNDS. BUT IN ORDER TO BE IMPLEMENTED — AND FOR THE MONEY TO BEGIN FLOWING — THOSE STANDARDS MUST BE AGREED TO BY LOCAL CHAPTERS OF THE STATE’S TEACHERS UNIONS.

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS — FROM BOTH THE D-E-A AND THE POSTAL SERVICE — WERE INSTRUMENTAL IN AIDING MIDDLETOWN POLICE IN A DRUG BUST MONDAY WHERE THREE CITY RESIDENTS WERE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO HAVE 45 POUNDS OF MARIJUANA SHIPPED TO THEM THROUGH THE MAIL. THE DISCOVERY OF THE POT WAS MADE BY POSTAL INSPECTORS AND THE ILLICIT CARGO WAS ADDRESSED TO A RESIDENCE ON BEDFORD AVENUE. ARRESTED ON FELONY POSSESSION CHARGES WERE ANASTACIA WOODCOCK AND LEVAUGHN MITCHELL, BOTH 24 AND 29-YEAR-OLD JEROME CHAMBERS; ALL THREE SUSPECTS WERE SCHEDULED TO BE ARRAIGNED IN CITY COURT ON TUESDAY, ACCORDING TO POLICE.

NEARLY TWO WEEKS AGO, MAURICE HINCHEY MADE IT OFFICIAL THAT HE WOULD BE RETIRING AS REPRESENTATIVE OF NEW YORK’S 22ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT AFTER TEN TWO-YEAR TERMS IN OFFICE. THIS WEEK, ANOTHER ULSTER COUNTY DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCED THAT HE’S RUNNING FOR THE SEAT BEING VACATED BY HINCHEY. JULIAN SCHRIEBMAN ANNOUNCED HIS INTENTION TO RUN, GIVING UP HIS CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE COUNTY DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE IN ORDER TO DO SO. SCHREIBMAN IS 39, FROM STONE RIDGE AND IS AN ATTORNEY WITH EXPERIENCE IN THE ULSTER D-A’S OFFICE, THE U-S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE IN MANHATTAN AND IN WASHINGTON WITH THE C-I-A.

POLICE IN THE TOWN OF WALLKILL ARE INVESTIGATING THE BURGLARY OF A SAFE CONTAINING JEWELERY FROM A THE GOLD DEPOSIT, A KIOSK LOCATED IN THE GALLERIA AT CRYSTAL RUN. WHILE NO SPECIFIC DOLLAR AMOUNT WAS GIVEN, POLICE SAY THE SAFE CONTAINED A “SIGNIFICANT” AMOUNT OF MERCHANDISE FROM THE RETAILER. THE MISSING SAFE WAS DISCOVERED BY AN EMPLOYEE RETURNING TO WORK AT THE GOLD DEPOSIT MONDAY MORNING. CALL WALLKILL TOWN POLICE IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION THAT MAY HELP THEM CRACK THE CASE AT 692-6757.

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Headlines provided by Bob Schaeffer for WALL Radio 1340 AM
Mark West in the Morning with Bob Schaeffer and Chris Mitchell

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