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Methamphetamine Supplier Gets 15 Years in Maryland

Methamphetamine Supplier Gets 15 Years in Maryland

On October 1, 2012, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced the sentencing of Alfred “JJ” Buensalida of Suisun City, California.  U.S. District Judge Roger W. Titus sentenced Buensalida to 15 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess and intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Buensalida and other co-defendants distributed meth in Prince George’s County between 2009 and 2010.  Buensalida, who was based out of California, is believed to have conspired with Mark Anglo, Jason Yaranon, and numerous others.  The FBI reports that Buensalida sold four to eight ounces of meth to Anglo and Yaranon on six different occasions.  Anglo is believed to have re-distributed the meth to customers and other distributors in, mainly, Prince George’s County.  

The FBI suspects that Buensalida distributed approximately 28 ounces of meth.  During the investigation, the FBI intercepted numerous text messages, and a text message eventually led to Buensalida’s arrest.  On June 10 and 11 of 2010, the FBI intercepted messages between Anglo and Yaranon that stated Anglo would send cash to Yaranon in Califronia.

On June 11, Yaranon test messaged the tracking number to Anglo for the package containing the meth—which was supplied by Buensalida.  The FBI intercepted the package in Landover, Maryland with a K-9 unit.  The meth was stuffed into Nike hightops in a shoebox.  

A total of 12 co-conspirators have pleaded guilty for participating in the distribution ring.  Anglo received 37 months in prison, and Yaranon will be sentenced on October 15, 2012.  

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein celebrated the efforts of the FBI and the Prince George’s County Police Department.  U.S. Attorney Rosenstein also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Chun of the U.S. Justice Department for prosecuting the case.  

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation

New Contracts will Help Improve 20,000 Acres of National Forest

New Contracts will Help Improve 20,000 Acres of National Forest

 

On November 26, 2012, the Department of Agriculture announced two Forest Service 10-year stewardship contracts worth $13.4 million.  The two contracts will help treat at least 20,000 acres of two national forests. 

USDA Under Secretary Harris Sherman stated: “Not only will these contracts help us alleviate the impacts of the mountain pine beetle infestation and reduce the threats of catastrophic wildfire, but they also will offer a supply of woody biomass that will be used to produce low-cost heat and a clean, renewable source of electricity.” 

The contracts will help improve the subalpine and mountain forests in the Medicine Row-Routt and White River national forests in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado.  The new contracts have added funds to the $100 million the Forest Service already directed to lower bark beetle infestations throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. 

Confluence Energy of Kremmling, Colorado received the Medicine Bow-Routt Long Term Stewardship Contract worth $4.75 million.  The company was nominated for the bid because they have the ability to remove trees killed by beetles and scatter the debris that now has no value.  Confluence Energy will pay for material that has commercial value, such as trees that can be turned into dimension lumber, biomass products, and wood pellets. 

Betty Straub with Confluence Energy stated: “The Confluence Energy team is excited and looks forward to working with the Forest Service to manage the Medicine Bow-Routt project.  We are confident in our ability to utilize the unwanted material for clean energy and high value purposes.” 

West Range Reclamation in Hotchkiss, Colorado received the bid for the White River Long Term Stewardship Contract worth $8.66 million.  The contract calls for the removal of trees species that are vulnerable to infestations from insects and disease like the lodgepole pine, subalpine fir, Douglas-fir, Engelmann spruce, aspen pine, and ponderosa pine. 

West Range is going to work Eagle Valley Clean Energy to generate electricity from the removed trees.  Eagle Valley Clean Energy will develop an 11.5 megawatt woody biomass power plant in the city of Gypsum, Colorado.  The electricity will be able to serve 8,000 to 10,000 homes from Parachute, Vail, and Glenwood Springs to Aspen.  The plant will allow for 41 permanent jobs and 107 construction jobs. 

Scott Fitzwilliams, the White River Forest Supervisor, states: This contract realizes an opportunity for us to achieve critical landscape restoration on the White River National Forest.  It also continues our legacy of sustainable use of wood products from saw logs to biomass for renewable energy.” 

Source: Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service

Abogado

Abogado

What Does Abogado Mean?
 
 
‘Abogado’ is the Spanish translation of the term for an attorney or lawyer. An Abogado is an individual who has received a law degree from an accredited insitution, which allows them practice law in one – or many – specialized legal fields. An Abogado is required to have satifiedlegal course requirements and applicable academic curriculum. An Abogado must pass an examination required by the American Bar Association, upon whose completion allows them to practice law within the specific state with regard to the specific Bar examination; each of the 50 states offers individual Bar certification that is available to an Abogado in the event of the satisfaction of the examination. Once receiving certification, an Abogado will be legally permitted to:
 
 
Provide legal counsel for clients undertaking their legal services
 
 
Provide legal counsel and advice with regard to the specialty in which they practice
 
 
Represent clients in the setting of court of law; this can take place through litigation, defense, or a variety of other means of trial law
 
 
Regulate, authorize, and oversee any or all expressed legality within the actions and events with regard to their clientele; this can exclude the drafting of legal forms, paperwork, documentation, and agreements
 
 
Create an individual rate of legal fees, costs, and expressed payment methodology for services performed
 
 
Abogados y Leyes(Attorneys and Laws for Spanish-Speakers)
 
 
The amount of individuals who undertake Spanish language usage within the United States is only second only to those undertaking the English language; in 2000, a national census estimated that the upwards of 27 million Spanish speaking individuals resided within the United States – as a result, an Abogado – or a lawyer who is fluent in Spanish – will be of value to individuals in the process of becoming acclimated in the use of the English Language.
 
 
Abogado Resources and Assistance
 
 
The parameters and protocols surrounding both the legal processes latent within matters involving legislation within the United States are particular and stringent in nature; within the scope of the American legal system, the adherence to laws, ordinances, and legal requirements are both latent and implicit within legal citizenship or residence.
 
 
Individuals for whom English is not their native tongue, the consultation with an Abogado – or lawyer – can assist them in the proper navigation of the legal procedure within the United States; in the event that individuals experience difficulty in any or all legal protocols inherent in the American legal system, they are encouraged to consult an Abogado for the following reasons:
 
 
An individual experiences difficulty completing or understanding documentation; the filing process for documentation is required to be completed as per the expressed requirements – an Abogado can assist in the formulation and authentication of legal documentation
 
 
An individual requires legal counsel with matters regarding immigration; this can include the establishment of citizenship, legal residence, documentation, and additional adjustments to respective immigration status
 
 
An individual is interested in sponsoring family members or spouseswith regard to immigration; an Abogado can assist in the preparation of documents, as well as the clarification of the process of immigration sponsorship
 

Samsung takes Round 1: Apple Banned from Selling some iPads and iPhones

Samsung takes Round 1: Apple Banned from Selling some iPads and iPhones

 
Apple secured the most critical battle in its seemingly endless patent war with Samsung; however, now it is Samsung’s turn to secure a victory. A trade agency ruled today that a number of older Apple products violate a Samsung patent and may not be sold within the United States. 
 
The International Trade Commission’s ruling bans Apple from selling or importing the AT&T compatible models of the iPhone 3, 3GS, and 4, along with the AT&T 3G-connected versions of the first two iPads. 
 
These products, which are assembled overseas and must be imported—infringe on a Samsun encoding patent for mobile devices. The ban placed on apple; however, does not impact the newest generation of the company’s products, including the iPhone 5 and the newest iPad, which utilize different technologies than the earlier devices. 
The review did not find that Apple violated any of the patents Samsung named in its case; however, the rest of the ruling poses a substantial blow to Apple, and it comes as a surprise given the preliminary ruling favored Apple. 
 
“The determination if final and the investigation is complete,” the International Trade Commission offered in its decision. Apple is allowed to file an appeal with the Federal Circuit court system, and spokespeople for the company claimed that it plans to do so. 
Apple may also hope for a veto from President Barack Obama as the ITC is required to send its orders to the president for a final review. If Obama does not strike down the order, it will become final and be effective immediately. 
 
Spokespeople for Apple berated Samsung for using a strategy which was rejected by regulators and courts around the world. These individuals also accused Samsung of trying to impede the sale of Apple products by utilizing patents they agreed to license to the market for a reasonable fee. 
 
Last year, a California court found that a number of Samsung products infringed on Apple patents for software such as scrolling and double-tap zooming. The jury in that case initially recommended that Apple be awarded in excess of $1 billion in damages. 
 
 
Source: International Trade Commission 

Home Sales Continue to Rise

Home Sales Continue to Rise

 

Home sales continue to rise in April, according to the latest information on the housing recovery offered from an industry trade group. 

The National Association of Realtors reported home sales climbed up 0.6 percent to annual rate of just under 5 million homes. Compared to last year, the pace of sales was up almost 10 percent. 

The pace of sales would have surpassed this level if it were not for insufficient supply and tight credit, the group claimed. 

“Without these impediments, existing home sales would have been well above the 5 million unit pace,” said the group‘s chief economist Mr. Lawrence Yun. He also said that customer traffic is up 31 percent compared to 2012, revealing greater demand than actual sales. 

The recovery in the housing market thus far this year has been a major driver of economic growth, lifting not just the pace of home construction but also retail sales. Near record low mortgage rates paired with improving unemployment figures, a significant drop in foreclosures and a tighter supply of homes for sale have all contributed to lift home prices. 

The housing report released today underscores these trends: the median price of a home sold last month was $242,600, which is up 4 percent from March and 9 percent from last year. Moreover, the number of homes on the market represents a 5 month supply at the current sales price. While this figure is up from March, it is down from a 6-month supply in 2012. 

The percentage of home sales that are deemed distressed sales, meaning homes in foreclosure or short sales, now represents only 18 percent of total sales, which is down a significant 28 percent from last year. 

The pace of new sales has been increasing every month for almost two years; the latest sales report is the strongest since November of 2009, when home sales were inflated by a short-term home buyer’s tax credit. 

Source: whitehouse.gov