Articles

The Shrimp Boat Keeps Growing And Growing In West OC

WEST OCEAN CITY -- More than 20 years ago, “Captain” Joe Crocetti, owner of The Shrimp Boat, brought two unique things to the Ocean City area -- head-on shrimp and the idea of selling seafood from a landlocked boat. “I’ve owned 15 boats in my lifetime,” said Crocetti, “and this is the only one that has ever made me money.” In 1989, Crocetti started the business, selling roadside shrimp from the back of a truck. A year later, he decided to construct a...READ MORE

State Funding Boosts Salisbury Crime Coalition

SALISBURY -- For the third consecutive year, Salisbury is receiving state funding for its Safe Streets Coalition. According to state and city officials, that money is making a noticeable impact. “It [Salisbury] is a very different place today … than two and a half years ago,” said Kristen Mahoney, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention (GOCCP). Mahoney was on hand to deliver a check for $324,623 to city officials at a special event...READ MORE

Boardwalk Steel Drum Act Denied

OCEAN CITY – The City Council turned down a Boardwalk musician’s plea to perform in front of a downtown restaurant that has warmly welcomed him, due to a law that provides for no exceptions. In a letter addressed to the Mayor and City Council, Boardwalk performer Augustine DiGiovanna stated on June 27 while he was playing his steel drum on the Boardwalk on the fence line in front of the Mug and Mallet an Ocean City police supervisor informed him he was no longer allowed to play in...READ MORE

County Honors 14 Retiring Employees

SNOW HILL -- This week, a collective 241 years of experience retired from Worcester County. The County Commissioners honored 14 retiring Worcester employees Tuesday. The group is comprised of many employees taking advantage of the county’s early retirement incentive program, which began three years ago. The program was developed to offset budget problems by reducing overall staff and cutting positions without having to make layoffs. Instead, employees are offered bonuses and enticements to...READ MORE

Berlin Eyes State Sustainable Program

BERLIN -- Berlin became the first community in the state last week to file for certification in the Sustainable Maryland Certified Municipal Certification Program. Representatives from Sustainable Maryland briefed the council on the newly formed program and what it could mean if the town joined. “I would love to see Berlin being one of the first,” said University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center Director Joanne Throwe. Throwe explained that the Sustainable Maryland program...READ MORE

Councilman Helps Fund Senior Transit System

OCEAN CITY – Proactive resident Bob Melvin, 92, was presented with a $1,000 check by Councilman Brent Ashley this week to help in setting sail on his new project, MEDTRN Plus. A couple of years ago, Melvin spearheaded changes to MEDTRN, a transit system transporting senior citizens, the handicapped and veterans to medical appointments locally and to surrounding areas. Councilman Brent Ashley caught wind of Melvin’s new project and brought him forward to explain during Tuesday...READ MORE

Retired Destroyer About To Become Artificial Reef

OCEAN CITY -- It now appears a target window, if not a firm date, has been established for the sinking of a retired U.S. Navy destroyer as part of a three-state artificial reef system just 30 miles from the Ocean City Inlet. The target date for the sinking of the decommissioned U.S.S. Arthur W. Radford has been tentatively set for the week of July 11 although the vessel is still waiting on final approval from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The 536-foot Radford will eventually...READ MORE

Casino Revenue Up Slightly

BERLIN -- The June figures for the Casino at Ocean Downs were released this week, revealing a continued pattern of gradual increase in the revenue taken in at the video gaming facility in Berlin. The Casino at Ocean Downs grossed just under $3.8 million in June, up slightly from the $3.7 million the facility generated in May. Each month since the casino opened on Route 589 just south of Ocean Pines, the revenue has gradually increased from $3 million in January to $3.13 million in February, and...READ MORE

Newark Man Gets 14 Years For Attack On Motel Employee

SNOW HILL -- A Newark, Md. man, arrested last September on assault, attempted rape and other serious charges after attacking a female employee at a West Ocean City motel, pleaded guilty this week to attempted armed robbery, a third-degree sex offense and false imprisonment and was sentenced to a combined 21 years, all but 14 of which was then suspended. Jeffrey Lee Hall, 22, of Newark, appeared in Circuit Court on Wednesday to face numerous charges related to his alleged attack on a female...READ MORE

Guard Stand Struck By Lightning

OCEAN CITY -- Providing further evidence of the need to heed the lifeguards’ orders to get off the beach when lightning is spotted nearby, an Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP) guard stand on 127th Street was struck during a brief but powerful thunderstorm Wednesday, splintering and burning the wood and sending nails shooting outward. Shortly after 1 p.m. on Wednesday, a brief thunderstorm rolled over the resort with lightning flashes visible across the resort sky. As per usual protocol, the...READ MORE

PJ Working To Spread Lung Cancer Message

OCEAN CITY – During a vacation, PJ Aldridge’s life turned upside down in a matter of days, but his life-altering encounter has transformed into a successful groundwork for the PJ Aldridge Foundation (PJAF). In February of 2010, PJ Aldridge was visiting a friend in Costa Rica. His daily activities consisted of surfing and working on his friend’s fishing boat. He had a couple days off where he went further down the coast to visit some other friends from the states and to...READ MORE

OC Guard Makes Off-Duty Rescue

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City surf rescue technician (SRT) and his mother are receiving commendations from the Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP) this weekend after an off-duty rescue last Sunday evening. Shortly after 6 p.m. last Sunday, a 911 call went out for a swimmer on a blow-up raft in distress in the ocean in the area of 68th Street. The call went out about a half an hour after the OCBP had gone off duty for the day, and officers still on regular patrol on an all-terrain vehicle, or quad,...READ MORE

Berlin Looking To Improve Town Hall Energy Efficiency

BERLIN -- Town officials are trying to get the best of both worlds by upgrading government offices to be more energy efficient, while maintaining their status as historical landmarks. Berlin will be repairing and replacing several windows in town hall along with the door to the planning and zoning offices. “The project is part of an overall energy efficiency grant,” Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen told the Historic District Commission (HDC) on Wednesday. Bohlen explained that...READ MORE

Grandfather Issue Clouds Outdoor Lighting Code

OCEAN CITY – A new outdoor lighting code for Ocean City has passed first reading, but it was sent back to city officials to discuss the ordinance’s grandfathering effect in regards to existing problem properties. The Mayor and City Council voted unanimously last month to have an outdoor lighting ordinance drafted to set the guidelines for future construction to eliminate intrusive lighting from one building to another. The council decided on Tuesday night to pass the new law on first...READ MORE

Reports Indicate DLC’s First Weekend Was Smooth

SNOW HILL -- Though some held their breath last weekend, wondering if the ball might be dropped, Worcester County officials proclaimed their first foray into the liquor business went smoothly. “All orders were filled without event,” said Chief Administrative Officer Gerald Mason. “Things went well over our first holiday weekend.” While the transition from the quasi-governmental Liquor Control Board (LCB) to the county-run Department of Liquor Control (DLC) has been in the...READ MORE

Assateague Island Goes Solar At Newest Facilities

ASSATEAGUE -- Assateague Island National Seashore officials are putting their environmental money where their mouth is with the installation of eco-friendly solar lighting systems in many of the barrier island’s new visitor-friendly areas. Assateague National Seashore Superintendent Trish Kicklighter this week announced the installation of several new solar-powered lighting systems in visitor service areas in the federal park. The new lighting is part of an ongoing effort by the National...READ MORE

High Court Reverses DWI Case

OCEAN CITY -- The state’s highest court last week reversed a lower court’s decision on the validity of a Pasadena man’s driver’s license suspension following a driving under the influence of alcohol arrest in Ocean City. On May 19, 2009, Ocean City Police stopped Frank Loane, Jr. for failing to obey lane directions. Upon making contact with Loane, the officer detected an odor of alcohol on the suspect’s breath. Loane was administered field sobriety tests, which he...READ MORE

Berlin Man Sentenced To 9 Years For Armed Robberies

SNOW HILL -- A Berlin man arrested last December along with three other suspects after detectives were able to connect them to a pair of hold-ups at convenience stores in Ocean Pines pleaded guilty last week in Circuit Court to armed robbery and robbery and was sentenced to nine years in jail. Jordan Criner, 23, pleaded guilty to robbery for his role in the armed hold-up of the Shore Stop convenience store on Route 589 in Ocean Pines last December and was sentenced to 14 years in jail, all but...READ MORE

Charter Boat Finds Body In Ocean

OCEAN CITY -- An Ocean City sportfishing captain and crew, and their charter, made a rare and macabre discovery last week off the coast of the resort when they discovered a dead body floating in the ocean. Captain Dale Lisi and the crew aboard the “Foolish Pleasures” were trolling near the 100-fathom line last Thursday afternoon when they came across something highly unusual in the water. Lisi said this week he circled the boat around to get a closer look, and when they drew nearer...READ MORE

Oglesby Plans To Retry Murder Case After Mistrial

SNOW HILL -- It remains uncertain just who shot and killed a Pocomoke man last December after the prime suspect’s trial in Worcester County Circuit Court last week ended in a mistrial. For three days last week, a Worcester County jury listened closely as prosecutors attempted to build a first-degree murder case against Skylor Harmon, 19, of Pocomoke, accused of shooting and killing Reginald Handy on Laurel Street last May. After deliberating for four hours last Thursday, the jury told...READ MORE

Mid-Town Hotel Project Clears Commission Hurdle

OCEAN CITY – Plans for a new hotel, Hampton Inn & Suites, in mid-town Ocean City received the go-ahead from resort planners this week. The applicant, Island Hotel Properties Inc., was on the agenda of the Planning and Zoning Commission on Wednesday evening as it approached final site approval. The site plan review was of a proposed 113-unit hotel to be located on two lots located on the west side of Coastal Highway and on the south side of 44th Street. Zoning Administrator Blaine Smith...READ MORE

State Approves Boat Slip Plans

OCEAN CITY -- Controversial plans to extend a pier and add eight new boat slips in a highly congested area of the Little Assawoman Bay are back on the fast track after the state’s Board of Public Works on Wednesday approved a wetlands license application for the project. About two years ago, the Portofino townhouse community in a little sliver of Worcester County cut off from Ocean City by Delaware along the Little Assawoman Bay just south of the Fenwick Ditch applied for extension of its...READ MORE

Restoration Funding Drop Worries Official

SNOW HILL -- One Worcester County Commissioner called out an area newspaper in a public meeting this on what he deems a misleading article on the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Fund. Commissioner Virgil Shockley referenced an editorial in The Daily Times during a commission meeting Tuesday. The editorial praised the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) for the $355,000 granted to Wicomico County this year for restoration projects. The money will be used to replace failing septic systems in...READ MORE