Articles

Berlin Businesses Report Mixed Reviews On Summer

BERLIN - The tourist season so far in Berlin has gotten varied reviews, with some saying more people are visiting, while others contend there are fewer people visiting the town and they are spending less. 'The merchants tell me it seems there's more people but they're not spending as much money,' said Michael Day, coordinator for Berlin's Main Street Program, a downtown economic development initiative. 'Everyone seems to see more foot traffic in general.' There are fewer sales per visitor,...READ MORE

Council Hears Update On Proposed Eco-Park in WOC

OCEAN CITY - Plans for the Ayres Creek water trail and landing park are moving along smoothly, reported organizers this week, as they sought approval from the Mayor and City Council to move forward with a partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Jim Rapp, director of Delmarva Low-Impact Tourism Experiences (DLITE), presented the Mayor and City Council with an update on the proposed eco-park project this week, citing potential assistance and funding that could be...READ MORE

County Wants To Start Sunday Auto Sales

SNOW HILL - Motorcycle enthusiasts may be able to buy their ride of choice on Sundays in Worcester County if Maryland legislators pursue a request from the Worcester County Commissioners to exempt the county from an obsolete 'blue law' still on the books. 'We're open Sundays. The retail and service side is open,' said Harley-Davidson of Ocean City General Manager Benet McCormick in a telephone interview.  'We have a pretty good amount of customers that come in and want to know about the...READ MORE

Council, Planners Discuss Development, Growth Issues

OCEAN CITY - At a joint meeting of the Mayor, City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission this week, completed, current and future efforts ranging from comprehensive rezoning to enhanced shadow controls were addressed, in an effort to reach a consensus on current issues in the town. Planning Director Jesse Houston highlighted a few of the completed items on the town's agenda. The items included the development of a height limit for residential properties between Baltimore and St. Louis...READ MORE

Parties Closing In On CO Settlement

OCEAN CITY - The $30 million wrongful death lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court earlier this year by the family of two Pennsylvania tourists who perished from carbon monoxide poisoning in a Boardwalk motel room in June 2006 appears to be close to a settlement this week, according to a memorandum to the many parties involved from a federal judge handling the case. A settlement conference was held on Tuesday, during which the parties apparently got close to reaching an agreement in the case. On...READ MORE

Schools Creating Contingency Fund For Future Overruns

NEWARK - Future school system cost overruns will be taken care of through a $1.2 million contingency fund to be established this summer. Worcester County Board of Education staffers are working on identifying cuts to make in the fiscal year 2009 budget, covering the 2008-2009 school year, to fund the contingency account. The school board will review the cuts and formalize the fund at the July 15 school board meeting. 'The County Commissioners said next year we will not provide any supplemental...READ MORE

Trophy White Marlin Headed For OC Boardwalk

OCEAN CITY -The biggest white marlin in Maryland sport fishing history could be finding a home on Ocean City's Boardwalk in the near future. Charles Kratz, captain of the boat that caught the 135-pound white marlin nearly 30 years ago, came before the Mayor and City Council this week, explaining his desire to donate the fish, along with a trophy case, to be on display in the town. The 135-pound, 102-inch-long white marlin was caught on Aug. 29, 1980 by angler George Pierson, with the help of...READ MORE

Wetlands Permits Pave Way For Shore Broadband Project

BERLIN - The effort to connect every corner of Worcester County and the Eastern Shore to broadband high-speed Internet access moved closer to becoming a reality this week when the state Board of Public Works approved a wetlands license for the private/public sector group leading the way. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley on Wednesday announced the state's Board of Public Works, consisting of Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, Treasurer Nancy Kopp and Comptroller Peter Franchot, approved a wetlands license for...READ MORE

City Against Adopting Lenient Drug Policy

OCEAN CITY - Town employees will remain under a zero-tolerance policy regarding substance abuse, after the City Council decided against adopting a new, more lenient policy this week. Human Resources Director Roger Weseman presented the Mayor and City Council with the proposed policy change this week; a modification that would give employees who were terminated for substance abuse a second chance. Currently, the Town of Ocean City has a zero-tolerance policy regarding substance abuse and has for...READ MORE

Council Okays Airport's Discounted Fuel Concept

OCEAN CITY - Discounts on fuel sales at the Ocean City Municipal Airport were addressed this week by the Mayor and City Council, resulting in approval of the good will practice, but with a few concerns about the regulation of the discounts. Public Works Director Hal Adkins and Airport Manager George Goodwill presented the concept to the Mayor and Council for their official blessing this week, even though the practice has been going on for over two years now. Currently, there are two options...READ MORE

Early Route 50 Service Road Work Comes In Under Budget

SNOW HILL - The completed initial work on the Route 50 service road is a quarter of a million dollars under budget, Public Works Director John Tustin reported to the County Commissioners Tuesday. Phase 1A, the beginning of the project, was finished earlier this year. The work cleaned up and straightened out the Holly Grove Rd. and Route 50 intersection and constructed turning lanes. 'We took that dangerous curve out and widened it up,' said Tustin. The original cost of $1,357,703 fell to...READ MORE

Former Library Site Not Planned For Public Parking

OCEAN CITY - The fate of the old library site on 14th Street was made official this week, as the City Council reviewed the past, present and future purposes for the now vacant lot. The 14th Street building that served as a home for the library for 40-some years was demolished this spring, after the building was deemed to be unviable for any other use. A new state-of-the-art Ocean City branch of the Worcester County Library is now open on 100th Street. It was noted at the time that the long-term...READ MORE

Governor Films Safety Commercial With Area Students

OCEAN CITY - Worcester County public school children from Snow Hill Elementary and Middle Schools had the opportunity to work alongside Governor Martin O'Malley for a school bus safety advertisement on June 24 in Ocean City. One of O'Malley's initiatives is to improve public safety and public education in Maryland. The purpose of the advertisement is to communicate the rules and regulations that motorists must follow when encountering a school bus that is stopped on a residential road and is...READ MORE

Irie Radio Lands Big Fish For Afternoon Show

OCEAN CITY -A familiar voice will be broadcasting through the airwaves Monday afternoon, as Don Geronimo returns to radio, this time through local 98.1 WOCM-FM. Don Geronimo, famous for his part in the East Coast popular afternoon-drive radio show, 'The Don and Mike Show', will join the Irie Radio crew Monday, July 7, bringing with him over 40 years of radio experience and the quick-witted banter that made him famous as an afternoon radio personality. Geronimo, whose real name is Michael Sorce,...READ MORE

Main Street Work Surprises Berlin

BERLIN - Berlin residents were surprised to wake up Monday morning to a blocked off Main St. Berlin's elected officials and staff were just as stunned as residents to wake up to the repaving work.  Main St. is also known as Maryland Route 818, meaning repair and maintenance responsibility lies with the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), not in the hands of the town of Berlin. 'They didn't give us any formal notice. I suppose they don't have to because they own the street,' said...READ MORE

Man Flees Wreck, Returns To Drag Passenger Away

OCEAN CITY - A Baltimore man was arrested this week for leaving the scene of an accident involving injuries and other serious charges after crashing his vehicle into a telephone poll, fleeing the scene to a nearby apartment and coming back a short time later for his unconscious female passenger. Shortly after midnight on Monday, OCPD Pfc. Aaron Morgan responded to a reported motor vehicle accident involving injuries on Baltimore Ave. around 5th Street. While en route to the scene, Morgan was...READ MORE

Marina Deck Offers Summer Comedy Tour

OCEAN CITY - The Marina Deck restaurant on the bay at the foot of Dorchester Street last weekend began a summer-long comedy club, featuring some of the top stand-up comedians from all over the country including some easily recognizable performers. The Marina Deck is offering comedy shows nightly in the cocktail lounge area. The shows are held nightly at 9:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Sunday, plus Midnight Madness shows on Friday and Saturday night. Every show has at least three comedians and there is...READ MORE

OC Eyes Increased Oversight On Residential Areas

OCEAN CITY - Single-family homes and residential neighborhoods deserve more attention, agreed the Mayor, City Council and the Planning Commission this week. Planning Commission member Peck Miller addressed the issue at a joint meeting of the Mayor and City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission Monday night, noting the importance of the few, but coveted, residential neighborhoods in the resort. 'Its time for us to pay a little extra attention to those areas,' said Miller, mentioning a...READ MORE

OC Leaders Get Primer On Tax Bills

OCEAN CITY - With the tri-annual reassessment of property values ongoing in Ocean City, resort business leaders this week got a primer on a variety of bills related to tax assessments that either passed, failed or were withdrawn in the General Assembly session this year and also learned a little more about the process used to determine the values. Robert Smith, director of the state's Department of Assessment and Taxation for Worcester County, on Wednesday delivered a presentation to the...READ MORE

OC Museum Begins Free Program Series

OCEAN CITY - Families looking for an enjoyable morning activity in Ocean City can head to the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum. Nestled on the Boardwalk by the Inlet, the museum offers free programs six mornings a week starting on Monday, July 7 and running through August 30, with topics ranging from knot tying to "All About Sharks." At 10:30 a.m. each day except Sundays, chairs are set up in front of the famous shark display at the southern end of the Boardwalk where all are...READ MORE

OC Police Seek Stabbing Suspect

OCEAN CITY - Resort police this week are looking for a man who attempted to stab his roommate with a large kitchen knife last Wednesday during a verbal altercation that nearly turned deadly. Shortly before midnight last Wednesday, OCPD officers responded to a residence on Philadelphia Ave. regarding an attempting stabbing that had just occurred. The victim told police his roommate, later identified as Jacobo Perez Mendez, 25, of Ocean City, came home extremely intoxicated to the room they...READ MORE

Rackliffe House Restoration Project Nears Halfway Point

BERLIN - The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Rackliffe House Trust, Inc., announced this week restoration efforts for the historic Rackliffe Plantation House at Assateague State Park have nearly reached midway. 'Few tidewater dwellings from the colonial era remain. The Rackliffe Plantation House stands out by virtue of its sea-front view, public accessibility, and well-documented picture of early merchant-planter life,' said Tom Patton of the Rackliffe House Trust, Inc....READ MORE

Resort To Get $293K From Liquor License Fees

SNOW HILL - The Worcester County Commissioners discussed several items briefly at their first July meeting on Tuesday. (BULLET)Ocean City will receive a substantial amount of money from Worcester County liquor license fee sharing, while Berlin, Snow Hill and Pocomoke City will receive much less. The county returns 75 percent of liquor license fees to the town a licensed business is located in. Ocean City will get a check for $293,625, its share of the 117 liquor licenses in the town. The resort...READ MORE

Suspect Cleared In Berlin Murder Case

SNOW HILL - One of three suspects charged in the beating death of a Berlin teen in May had the charges against him dropped in District Court in Snow Hill last Thursday and it appears unlikely he will be indicted in the case. Eric Ronald Hewitt, 19, of Ocean City, one of three men charged in connection with the beating death of Michael Harry Mitchell and an assault on another man, Daniel Edward Riley, on May 29 in the Decatur Farm community in Berlin, appeared in District Court last Thursday and...READ MORE

Surf Improves In Time For 2nd Annual Surfabout

OCEAN CITY - The 2008 Chauncey's Surfabout ran June 28 at 30th Street in Ocean City with great summertime waves for over 160 competitors from Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. This is the second year Chauncey and Blair Rhodes of Chauncey's Surf Shops at 30th Street and 52nd Street in Ocean City have sponsored a contest for the Delmarva Eastern Surfing Association and their involvement has been a big boon to the local organization. The competition was extremely fierce...READ MORE