July 2, 2010

Worcester Prep Podcast Put Together by 6th Graders

Prior to the end of the school year, rising sixth grade students Kathleen Emche and Eva Parks worked on a video for one of Worcester Preparatory School's podcasts. Their video features information about moving from the Lower School into Middle School. Some of the topics covered were having lots of teachers, getting a locker, and being able to join in drama and chorus activities  ...READ MORE

BIS Afterschool Academy Goes Deep Sea Fishing

Students in the Berlin Intermediate School's Afterschool Fishing Academy climbed aboard the Morning Star on Thursday, June 10 to embark on their first deep sea fishing adventure. Supervised by club sponsor Diana Jolley, students enjoyed fishing using techniques and skills that they learned from her and members of the Maryland Saltwater Sportsfisherman's Association.  Several tog were caught and released, but not before tagging them for research. Above, Captain Monty Hawkins is pictured with...READ MORE

Alumni Visits Worcester Prep Biology Class

Kate Dashiell Bounds, a 2001 graduate of Worcester Preparatory School, visited Tom Westcott's A.P. Biology class to talk about respiratory issues that she encounters in her job as a respiratory therapist at Atlantic General Hospital. Pictured, from left, are Ashley Foreman, Westcott, Bounds, Olivia Massey, Hannah Beauchamp, Riddhi Sanwal, Matteo Petrera and Jake Emche.  ...READ MORE

BIS Holds 13th Annual Honors

Before letting out for summer, Berlin Intermediate School held its 13th Annual Honors Celebration for students who made Honor Roll and Principal's List throughout the year.  At the celebration, sixth grade student Adam Melson received the Franklin Burroughs Golf Scholarship.  He will receive full tuition to golf camp this summer. Pictured with him are Ocean City Councilman Lloyd Martin, physical education teacher Susan Johnson, Al 'Hondo' Handy from OC Recreation and Parks and...READ MORE

OC Police Chief Visits OC Elementary

Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino visited Ocean City Elementary to remind students and families to Walk Safe this summer while in Ocean City.  Pictured, back, are Principal Irene Kordick, Kevin Diu, Kameron Lewis, Mary James and DiPino; middle, Lilly Castellanos, David Herbst, Ziquawn Mumford and Sam Ingersoll; and, front, Amit Peled, Marie Griffiths and Jasmi Zavala.  ...READ MORE

Faces in Places

A spotlight on the local and regional bar and restaurant scene ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Although you don't like to change plans once they're set, once again, you might find that doing so can make a big difference in your favor. Family matters dominate the weekend. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): You continue to get encouragement for your proposals, including some support from unlikely sources. Use this positive flow to move forward with your plans. Good luck. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Family matters are dominant this week. It's a good time to be with...READ MORE

Living Trusts Allow Freedom, Flexibility With Assets

OCEAN CITY - When most investors hear the term 'living trust,' they often think of something only celebrities and the ultrawealthy use to shelter their assets from public view. The truth is, anyone who has reason to keep some things about their net worth confidential, even from relatives, might consider this vehicle as part of the estate planning process. Assets held within a living trust bypass probate court, removing them •€' and how you distribute them •€' from public view....READ MORE

Battle Lines Drawn Between LCB, Business Owners

SNOW HILL •€' Local liquor licensees in Ocean City made it apparent last week that they'd like to see the Liquor Control Board for Worcester County (LCB) abolished. This week, the LCB intensified the debate with a vehement 'bring it on.' LCB Executive Director Brian Sturgeon said he would welcome the possibility of another referendum to determine the fate of the LCB and his group fired back on Wednesday in Snow Hill against allegations that surfaced last week concerning the dispensary's...READ MORE

Thoughts From the Publisher's Desk

Every summer a number of surveys are released ranking vacation destinations. This season is no different, as Priceline announced this week the result of its annual survey of the 50 most popular places for the holiday weekend. Ocean City was ranked No. 41, which is not exactly something to openly tout but worthy of note nonetheless. The top 10 featured some perennial favorites including two sites in Chicago, two sites in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Boston, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Washington, D.C. and...READ MORE

Voices From the Readers

Vincent Was More Than A Prosecutor Editor: I want the citizens of our great Eastern Shore to know that there was so much more to Sam Vincent than just being a prosecutor. Sam Vincent was one of the most decent and honorable people I have ever known and we were friends for nearly 40 years. We met through an organization called the Order of DeMolay, a group that teaches the virtues of brotherly love, reverence for sacred things, courtesy, comradeship, fidelity, and patriotism. In both his...READ MORE

'Buy Local' Campaign A Worthwhile One

•€˜Buy Local' Campaign A Worthwhile One Some tourism campaigns are long on pomp and circumstance and short on substance, but a current promotion organized by the state is well timed and appropriate for our state and these challenging times. No matter the economy, it's always wise to support local businesses because their employees live here, they pay local taxes, they support local families by providing jobs and they keep their money in the community. The Maryland Office of Tourism's 'Buy...READ MORE

Friday, July 2--Berlin Mayor Eyes Delegate's Seat

BERLIN - Speculation became reality this week when current Berlin Mayor Gee Williams filed to run for the Maryland House of Delegates. Williams hopes to take up the seat of Del. Jim Mathias, who is seeking the District 38B state senate seat. Less than a week before the filing deadline, Williams faces four opponents for District 38B's two seats: incumbent Norm Conway, a Democrat; current Pocomoke Mayor Mike McDermott, a Republican; and Marty Pusey, a Republican and director of Prevention Services...READ MORE

Friday, July 2--County Village Offers Historic Glimpse Through Driving Tour

GIRDLETREE - Just six miles south of Snow Hill, the tiny village of Girdletree plays host to a handful of people and a lot of history that the village would love to show off. The Girdletree Village Historical Foundation has been active since the 1990s, purchasing and renovating the Barnes Bank and the freight station and creating a driving tour of historic buildings, from the old feed mill to the former station master's house. Girdletree, located to the south and east of Snow Hill, is a sleepy...READ MORE

Friday, July 2--Microbrewer Plans To Open Berlin Operation In Fall

BERLIN - Fans of craft brewed beer will be able to get their favorite beverage closer to home when Bryan Brushmiller opens his Burley Oak microbrewery on Old Ocean City Blvd. this fall. Brushmiller plans to translate his home brewing hobby to a full-fledged professional operation in the old restaurant supply warehouse on Old Ocean City Blvd. When asked if it was a risk to begin a new business during a recession, Brushmiller, who has run successful businesses in the past, dismissed the...READ MORE

Friday, July 2--New Police Campaign Seeks To Curb Road Deaths

OCEAN CITY - On the eve of one of the biggest travel weekends of the year, law enforcement officials from all over the shore this week officially kicked off the second phase of the 'Summer Heat: From the Bay to the Beach in One Piece' program, an ambitious campaign to target aggressive drivers. On Wednesday, the Ocean City Police Department welcomed representatives from practically every law enforcement agency on the Eastern Shore as well as the Maryland State Police for the official kick-off of...READ MORE

Dispensary Admits Mistakes In Liquor Promotion

OCEAN CITY •€' The Liquor Control Board for Worcester County (LCB) admitted it 'made some mistakes' during the Stoli Orange promotion in March that has brought accusations of price discrimination and an alleged comptroller investigation to the forefront. At Wednesday's LCB meeting in Snow Hill, Executive Director Brian Sturgeon conceded that mistakes had been made and that those mistakes had been rectified, but he also contested that he was only trying to help the licensees and in no way...READ MORE

Gulf Spill, Economy Spark Seafood Concerns

OCEAN CITY - While the potential for oil from the ongoing Gulf of Mexico spill reaching Maryland's shore remains a long shot, fear and trepidation is already beginning to affect the state's seafood industry in the height of the summer season. Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley this week convened a roundtable discussion in Ocean City including several of his department heads, Ocean City elected officials, scientists and other stakeholders to discuss the state's preparations for the ongoing Deep Water...READ MORE

Man Dies In North OC Pool

OCEAN CITY - Tragedy struck last week when a 24-year-old Middle River, Md. man died in an unguarded north Ocean City hotel swimming pool, which it was discovered yesterday was required to have a lifeguard on duty at the time. Around 10:30 p.m. last Thursday, James Robert Cullum, 24, of Middle River, was swimming in the pool at the Fenwick Inn in north Ocean City with friends and family when he jumped in and did not come back up. Attempts to resuscitate the victim at the pool were unsuccessful...READ MORE

Mikulski, Kratovil Announce $4M In New Beach Funds

OCEAN CITY •€' Congressman Frank Kratovil said that if Ocean City were to ever go under, so would Maryland. Senator Barbara Mikulski joined Kratovil on the Boardwalk in Ocean City on Monday morning to announce that they had fought to secure roughly $4 million in federal funds for the beach replenishment project, which had come back into the limelight after a November storm destroyed almost half of the dune system (roughly $10 million in damage) in Ocean City. Although the dunes were...READ MORE

Teen Saved From Drowning

Kylie Joson Staff Writer OCEAN CITY - Even when the lifeguards are on duty, you should take caution when swimming in the ocean, but when the lifeguards are not on duty your chances of injury or death dramatically increase. Last Wednesday around 8 p.m., Justin Lowe, 17, of Dagsboro, fractured his fifth cervical vertebrae (neck) when he ran from the beach and dove into the shallow water at the Inlet beach. 'This is the second incident this summer where teenagers were swimming when the lifeguards...READ MORE

'Big Gamble' Paying Off Well For Hooters' Newest Operation

OCEAN CITY •€' Hooters of Ocean City's new 5th Street location might be the new kid on the block as far as Boardwalk businesses go, but in just its third week of being open it's drawing crowds like a seasoned veteran. Hooters Director of Operations Matthew J. Ortt says that the 5th Street location is like 'a new baby that we are prepping for the future,' but he said that the early signs are pointing to a bright one. 'I saw the impact and the potential for this location in about the first 10...READ MORE

A Modest Start Behind Turtle Legacy

T.K. Dickerson Staff Writer WEST OCEAN CITY - If it wasn't for the laid back atmosphere, personalized mugs hanging from the bar and the copious amounts of peanuts, I don't think that I would be able to make the connection from the Greene Turtle today to the place where I sat in the middle of T-shirt racks, being passed crackers by the bartender over 15 years ago. I am no longer four years old, and the Greene Turtle isn't the same small sports bar it was when it was starting out. However,...READ MORE

Berlin Officials Turn Attention To Zoning Code

BERLIN - With Berlin's new Comprehensive Plan now approved, the town must turn its attention to modifying the zoning code to enshrine the plan's vision. At Berlin Administrator Tony Carson's suggestion, the Berlin Mayor and Council agreed to hold a council work session in the future to offer town staff direction and suggestions on the rezoning, which must follow the newly approved Comprehensive Plan. Staff will do the technical work, but the Berlin Planning and Zoning Commission will guide the...READ MORE

Berlin Sewer Work Slightly Behind

BERLIN - One year after starting work on the long-awaited Berlin wastewater treatment plant expansion and improvements at the existing plant site in eastern Berlin, construction is only a few days off schedule. 'They are probably around 12 to 14 days behind on the wastewater treatment plant which is not bad considering the winter we had,' said Berlin Administrator Tony Carson this week. Work had been behind about 20 days as of last month, so crews have made up work, he noted. 'We're looking at...READ MORE

Church, Gulyas Unopposed With Deadline Near

SNOW HILL - With the deadline to file for the upcoming primary and general elections this fall rapidly approaching, the field of candidates for local and state positions has started to take shape in the last week or so, but at least two offices up for grabs are conspicuous by their apparent lack of challengers. The Worcester County Board of Elections late yesterday updated its list of candidates who have filed for election this fall and nearly every one of the state and local seats on the ballot...READ MORE

Gulf Oil Spill Called 'A Wake-Up Call' For Maryland

OCEAN CITY - While the ongoing oil crisis in the Gulf of Mexico nudged past the three-month mark, Gov. Martin O'Malley and several ranking state officials convened in Ocean City this week to discuss plans for potential direct and indirect impacts on the resort and the rest of Maryland. O'Malley and many of his cabinet members, along with Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and other local officials, met at Bahia Marina on Tuesday to discuss plans for potential impacts from the gulf disaster in Maryland...READ MORE

Ocean City News in Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, the dangers of windy days on the beach became a reality for one woman this week and the city may not have to make a move to ban a potentially harmful substance after all. Woman Impaled By Own Beach Umbrella Resort paramedics rushed to 48th Street on Monday afternoon to attend to a 48-year-old Baltimore woman who had been struck in the leg by her own beach umbrella. Ocean City Beach Patrol Captain Butch Arbin said that the woman's umbrella had been...READ MORE

Paint Berlin Event Planned

BERLIN - Artists will take to the streets of Berlin in August for three days of open-air painting in the town's first annual Paint Berlin event. 'We had been thinking about this for a few years. No one else had decided to come up to bat,' said Carol Dorman, assistant administrator of the Worcester County Arts Council. 'Our mission is to promote arts in Worcester County. We thought this was a good chance to do that.' After the three days of Paint Berlin, from Aug. 13-15, the artworks produced...READ MORE

School Master Plan Outlines Possible Future Projects

BERLIN - The design for the Snow Hill High School renovation will need to be updated before the school board seeks funding for the long-planned project. The plan for the renovations was approved and adopted by the state in 2006, and the plan will be 54 months old when the Worcester County school system goes back to the state to request funding. Two years ago, the school board agreed to defer the school's improvements until fiscal year 2013. That plan is still in effect. The plan update would be...READ MORE

School Officials Re-Elected Unless Challengers File

BERLIN - A decade after a controversial referendum vote to change Worcester County's Board of Education from a body appointed by the governor to one elected by the voters of the county, there appears to be little interest in challenging the incumbents in the upcoming election. In 2000, the voters of Worcester County approved by referendum a switch from a school board appointed by the governor to an elected body after months of considerable saber-rattling and gnashing of teeth. In the following...READ MORE

Snapshot Finds Coastal Bays Showing Small Improvement

BERLIN - Maryland's coastal bays watershed earned an overall score of C+ in the 2009 Coastal Bays Report Card, compared to just a C for 2008. 'The good news this year is we're up slightly,' said Dr. Bill Dennison, vice president of science applications at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. 'It's a snapshot. It's not necessarily a trend. We want you to get an idea of how things are going,' said Maryland Coastal Bays Program Executive Director Dave Wilson at the report...READ MORE

St. Louis Cyclist Ends Journey In Ocean City

When Allen Baumgartner got the key to Ocean City this week, the first thing he wanted to do was jump in the ocean. The next thing he wanted was a hamburger. Baumgartner, a St. Louis, Mo. native, was presented with the key to the city from Mayor Rick Meehan on Monday morning after a two-month journey from St. Louis to Ocean City on a bike. Baumgartner had been biking toward the coast since April 28 on a specially made hand-cycle, in hopes of raising money and awareness for Friedrich's Ataxia, a...READ MORE

Tourney Drama Raises Local Fishing Questions

OCEAN CITY - After a Virginia angler and crew lost over $1 million over the lack of a $30 North Carolina fishing license during the Big Rock Blue Marlin tournament in mid-June, questions have been raised about the need for the proper permits and licenses for anglers as Ocean City rolls into the height of its summer offshore tournament season. On June 14, angler Andy Thomasson and the crew aboard the Virginia-based 'Citation' landed an 883-pound blue marlin on the first day of the Big Rock Blue...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Lillian Catherine Timmons BERLIN - Lillian Catherine Timmons, 78, died Sunday, June 27, 2010 at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. Born in Berlin, she was the daughter of the late Alfred Lewis and Mattie Quillen Lewis. Also preceding her in death were her step-father, Holland Elijah Lewis, and her husband, Raymond James Timmons, Sr. in 2003. She is survived by her children, Betty Ann Dennis and her husband Robert Lee of Willards, and Raymond James Timmons, Jr. of Berlin. There are...READ MORE

Fish 'N OC

If there was one word that I could use to sum up the past couple of weeks in Ocean City, it would be "hot." Yes folks, summer has officially arrived. It seems like everywhere I go air conditioners are cranking, ice cream shops are buzzing and people are taking to the water to cool off. Fortunately for us fishermen, the weather is not the only thing that has been hot around Delmarva the past couple of weeks •€' the fishing has been pretty hot as well. If you have spent much time...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

Toddlers can be moody and it's usually easy to determine what kind of day it's going to be first thing in the morning. From what I know about kids his age, I would rank Beckett on the more vocal side. At times, this is a great thing, but there are moments when his talkative nature can be unfortunate. Since he's prone to articulate what's on his mind at all times, there are instances when it can seem like nonstop babble. If the dark side is occupying him, as I like to call it, it sounds more like...READ MORE

Worcester Tech Partners with Shore Transit to Design New Bus Banner

Kate Kotoski of Worcester Technical High School stands by the Shore Transit bus that showcases her new banner design. Shore Transit partnered with Worcester Tech's Graphic Communication class, taught by Clay Reister, left, with the goal of having a new bus banner created that increased customer recognition and emphasized that Shore Transit is a community public transportation system. Twenty students submitted designs and Kotoski's design, created using Adobe software, was selected. Kotoski...READ MORE

Women's Council of Realtors Donates 125 sand buckets to Believe in Tomorrow

The Coastal Delmarva Chapter of the Women's Council of Realtors (WCR) donated over 125 sand buckets filled with toys, lotions and summer necessities to be distributed to families during their stay in Ocean City at The Believe in Tomorrow House by the Sea. Eileen Harper serves as the community service chair. Pictured above are community service committee members Debbie Tingle and Patti Feehley, both of First Shore Federal.  ...READ MORE

Kiwanis Club Donates $400 to OP Volunteers

The Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City recently donated $400 to the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department (OPVFD). Shown accepting the check on the left is Steve Rosen, vice president of the OPVFD and a fellow Kiwanis member, from Kiwanis Club President Dan Peletier.  ...READ MORE

Open Beer Leads To Pot Arrest

BERLIN - A Berlin man was arrested on marijuana possession charges last week after police officers observed him walking down the street with an open beer. Around 11:15 last Friday, Berlin Police on routine patrol observed a man, later identified as Tyrone Briddell, 41, of Berlin, walking down Flower Street with an open beer can, a municipal infraction in the town of Berlin. The officers stopped Briddell, and after a background check, informed the suspect he had an open warrant for failure to pay...READ MORE

Who's Playing Where and When Musically Speaking

Sports Bar & Grille Old Bridge Road, West OC July 2: Gravy Saturday: Karaoke With Hey Mick The , Talbot St. On the bay July 2 & Saturday, July 3: Police, 9 p.m. July 3 & Sunday, July 4: Bylan Galvin Sunday: Local's Social With DJ Rusty Griswald Salty Dog , 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. July 2: Aaron Howell Band July 3: Redo Acoustic Sunday: Local's Party with DJ BK Wednesday: DJ JJ July 8: Steel City Hillbillies bar & Grill off the boards on 2nd St. July 2: Dave Sherman, 1-5 p.m.;...READ MORE

People in Society

Shots of Those Lending a Helping Hand Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

Things I Like

A surprisingly meaty small crab Collecting shells with my son The shade of a big tree A big backyard deck Short voice mail messages When the wind keeps the flies away on Assateague A heavy overnight rain Cooking shrimp on a grill Not using an alarm clock Ice cream on a hot, humid day A library's unique smell  ...READ MORE