Articles

Ideas Floated To Pump New Energy Into Town's Core

BERLIN - The kick off meeting for the Berlin Main Street program may have been sparsely attended, but ideas to improve Berlin's downtown sprang up thick and fast. People need more reason to spend time in downtown Berlin, interim Mayor Gee Williams said at the meeting last Thursday night. The special meeting was called to gather input from the business community on priorities for the Main Street program. 'We want to do what you all want to do. We want to prioritize what you think is important,'...READ MORE

Knight Becomes First OC Incumbent To File

OCEAN CITY - While Election Day won't come until October for several local council members and hopefuls, at least one elected official has her eye on the prize for the next four years. City Council member Mary Knight filed with the City Clerk's office Tuesday, kicking off her campaign for City Council for the upcoming election. Knight was elected to a two-year term in 2006, after the votes revealed her as the fourth highest recipient of votes, securing her a two-year seat on the City Council....READ MORE

New Sister City Eyed For Resort

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City may gain a new Sister City this year, with efforts to partner with a city in Brazil already underway. Don Pellicano, representing the Ocean City Sister City Committee this week, presented the idea for the addition of a second sister city to the Mayor and City Council Monday evening. The Sister City program began with President Eisenhower in 1956. Today, there are 2,400 partnerships in 134 countries. Sister City International, a non-proift organization, creates and...READ MORE

Local Dies In Suspected Fall

OCEAN CITY - Tragedy struck early yesterday morning when the body of a 71-year-old Ocean City man was discovered in an alley behind a condominium building near 77th Street. Around 7:30 a.m. yesterday morning, an unidentified man staying in the Jada condominium on 77th Street discovered the deceased body of an elderly man in the alley behind the building while taking out the trash. Police and emergency crews arrived on the scene, but the victim, identified late yesterday as Richard Lawrence Cook,...READ MORE

OC Neighbors Irked Over Stalled Project's Uncertainty

OCEAN CITY - The effects of a stalled Edgewater Ave. construction project came to the forefront once again this week, after months of little to no action being taken regarding the complaints of adjacent property owners. City Engineer Terry McGean originally came before the Mayor and City Council this week with the intention to revoke the building permit extension for 1111 Edgewater Ave., but ultimately altered his request, after last-minute efforts were taken by the property owner to correct...READ MORE

Two Killed Racing On Highway

BERLIN - Two young men were killed in an accident on Route 50 in Berlin late last Friday night when the vehicle they were traveling in left the roadway after what appears to have been a race with another vehicle. Religious symbols, photographs, stuffed animals and other personal items along with broken bits of the car mark the spot along Route 50 near Logtown Rd. in Berlin where an accident claimed the lives of Jason Alan Joseph, 22, of Eden, Md., and Donald Wayne Strought, 25, of Salibury, in...READ MORE

University Leaders Suggest Another Look At Drinking Age

BERLIN - Nearly 25 years after the legal drinking age in Maryland and every other state was raised to 21, campus leaders across the country have launched a campaign to lower the minimum legal drinking age back to 18 as part of an effort to curb binge drinking by teenagers, but the concept does not appear to have much momentum. Over 100 university and college presidents across the country, including the University System of Maryland chancellor and many others in the state, have advocated...READ MORE

Worcester's Top Teacher A Finalist In State Contest

BERLIN - Worcester County Teacher of the Year Amy Gallagher joins seven of Maryland's top teachers as a finalist for the 2009 Maryland Teacher of the Year. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Andes made the surprise announcement during his welcome address for the school system's new teacher orientation. In addition to Gallagher's role as the Worcester County Teacher of the Year, she is serving as a mentor for a new teacher who is joining the Stephen Decatur Middle School staff. The 2009 Maryland...READ MORE

Berlin Hires New Finance, Public Works Directors

BERLIN - Two long vacant senior staff positions in the Berlin administration are vacant no more, with Jo-Ellen Mason-Foley taking up the Director of Finance post and Michael Gibbons stepping into the Director of Public Works slot. The financial director position has been empty for nearly two years, since Don Fletcher resigned in 2006. Previous Public Works Director Dale Pruitt retired last year, leaving the department in the hands of assistant superintendent Wendell Purnell. 'I'm very...READ MORE

Berlin Working To Create New Sewer Capacity Policies

BERLIN - Berlin staff and elected officials reviewed new policies on wastewater distribution and infrastructure dedication during a rare work session held Monday evening. 'We're at the beginning of the beginning of planning Berlin's growth for the next couple of decades,' said interim Mayor Gee Williams at the outset of the session. Intensive work on the wastewater capacity management policy revealed that Berlin would possess the necessary EDUs to accommodate the future growth of residential...READ MORE

BZA Approves Project's Conditional Use

BERLIN - The Berlin Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) approved the Davis-Taylor Farm senior living conditional use this week, amid a controversy over state wastewater funding which some warn could be reduced or eliminated if the project goes through. Planning consultant Tim Bourcier warned, despite Davis-Taylor project attorney Hugh Cropper's objections, that developing residential uses on that site could threaten Berlin's status as a priority funding area (PFA) for state loans and grants to cover...READ MORE

Leg Cramps, Cough Cause Downtown Crash

OCEAN CITY - Apparent leg cramps and an untimely coughing spell are being blamed for a vehicle leaving Philadelphia Ave. early Monday morning, first striking a telephone pole and crashing into the front porch of a residence. Around 9 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City resident Paul Michael Toulottei, 51, was driving south on Philadelphia Ave. when he lost control of his vehicle, struck a telephone pole in front of the Ocean City Weekly Rental Office and continued across 7th Street before slamming into...READ MORE

New Website Spotlights Eco-Tourism Opportunities

SNOW HILL - Tourists planning a visit to Worcester County can use a new website to get a preview of eco-tourism activities through short, locally produced, videos. 'It's this really neat series of webisodes, two-minute webisodes, that tout the wilds of Worcester County,' said Lisa Challenger, director of tourism for Worcester County, at Tuesday's County Commissioner meeting. The Wilds of Worcester webisodes will be hosted on the website www.wildsofworcester.com, YouTube, and Maryland.com. The...READ MORE

OC Firefighters Hope To Fill Boot To Assist MDA

OCEAN CITY - Local firefighters and paramedics will hit the streets next Thursday for the annual Fill The Boot Drive, taking time from their busy schedules to reach out to the public and garner funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Don't be surprised to see Ocean City's finest approaching cars and pedestrians Thursday with their boots on hand, as the fire department's men and women will be collecting money downtown for one of their most personal causes. Each year the International...READ MORE

Property Found In Compliance After Owner Appeals

OCEAN CITY - An appeal regarding a lot maintenance violation at a mid-town building was discussed at the council level this week, and while the lot was ultimately deemed in compliance, with regard to matters pertinent the City Council, the owner was advised nonetheless to keep the lot clean. Thomas Hofman, owner of 109 79th Street, came before the City Council two weeks ago, visibly upset at the suggestion that his lot was not well maintained. At that time, Hofman explained to the council the...READ MORE

Resort's First Assisted Living Facility Offers Luxury

OCEAN CITY - Assisted living facilities took on a new meaning this week, with the debut of Key Largo Villas Seniors By the Sea, a unique seniors community that offers everything from home-cooked meals to luxury units to full cleaning and laundering services. Key Largo Villas Seniors by the Sea, located on 54th Street, held its open house Monday, providing a preview of Ocean City's first assisted living facility and all of its unique amenities. The four-story condominium building offers eight...READ MORE

State Champions Crowned As Waves Cooperate

OCEAN CITY - After a three-week flat spell, the ocean finally came to life again last weekend, just in time for the 2008 Quiet Storm Maryland State Championships, which had already been postponed once due to no surf. With the arrival of the swell, over 200 competitors had only a couple of days to get their sea legs back before the start of the contest Saturday morning. Though by that time the swell had dropped somewhat, it was still contestable, and ESA director Chris Makibbin challenged the...READ MORE

Subway Cars Thriving, Next Batch Arriving Soon

OCEAN CITY - The first batch of retired New York City 'Red Bird' subway cars sunk off the coast of Ocean City in mid-May are already crusting up with algae, coral and other habitat-creating life and funds are in place for several more barge loads when they become available. On May 16, the first batch of NYC subway cars found a permanent home about 19 miles off the coast of Ocean City near the famous 'Jackspot,' creating the new Susan J. Power Reef in the name of its donor. According to Ocean...READ MORE

Thom Gulyas Seeking Lang's Council Seat

BERLIN - Thom Gulyas became the fourth generation of his family to make a bid for public office when he filed to run for a Berlin Town Council seat recently. 'Gulyas' is already a well-known name in Worcester County politics, with Thom's mother, Louise, holding Ocean City's County Commissioner seat for the last decade. Louise Gulyas' grandfather was mayor of Ocean City and her father was a councilman in Pennsylvania, she said this week. 'Thom's been very interested in politics forever and I...READ MORE

Twisters Complete Season With 90 Meet Medals

BERLIN - Twisters Gymnastics of Berlin, Maryland finished the 2007-08 USAG women's competitive season by taking home a total of 90 medals from the Maryland state meets for levels 4-7, including 10, first place medals. In addition, two girls were named all-around state champions for their respective age groups. One of those, 7-year-old Dana Kim of Salisbury, was one of only five gymnasts named to the Maryland state team, earning an outstanding 38.000 all-around score. Out of 306 gymnasts in all...READ MORE