Articles

Ayres Granted Negotiating Power By Judge

OCEAN CITY -- If the town of Ocean City reaches a settlement next week in a civil suit filed last September alleging age bias and discrimination in its hiring practices, City Solicitor Guy Ayres will be able to negotiate the pending agreement with members of the City Council present, a federal judge ruled this week. Last September, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed suit in U.S. District Court against the Mayor and Council for allegedly violating the Age Discrimination...READ MORE

No Soap At Worcester Middle School Questioned

BERLIN -- After removing soap dispensers from student bathrooms, a local school found itself the target of a small storm of parental outrage. “You can’t take soap and water away from 800 kids,” said Judy Schumate, whose daughter attends Stephen Decatur Middle School (SDMS). In response to issues with student-caused messes last year, SDMS hasn’t had soap dispensers in any of the student bathrooms since doors opened to students at the end of August. “They started...READ MORE

Worcester County Passes New Ethics Code

SNOW HILL -- A new ethics code was passed by the Worcester County Commissioners as an emergency bill Tuesday, though the code’s authority stops a little short of what one commissioner hoped. A state-wide policy is forcing all counties to bring their ethics regulations in-line with the Maryland minimum or higher. When the changes were first announced last month, county attorney Sonny Bloxom informed the commission the updates will be relatively minor and mostly concern extending the detail...READ MORE

Salisbury Firehouse Contract Weighed

SALISBURY -- With talks dragging on since last December, the Salisbury City Council is finally set to vote next Monday on whether a contract for renovations to the downtown firehouse is still acceptable or if new bids for the property will need to be filed. Last December, Salisbury accepted a $100,000 bid for the firehouse from Coastal Venture Properties, who plan on using the building as a restaurant, with a special focus on education. The plan for the site is to use it to train University of...READ MORE

Busker’s Arrest In Baltimore Raises OC Issues

OCEAN CITY -- A little more than a week after winning a preliminary injunction allowing him to practice his art in most areas on the Boardwalk in Ocean City, street performer Mark Chase tested the limits of the court’s ruling at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore and soon found himself behind bars. On Sept. 9, a U.S. District Court judge ruled in favor of street performer Mark Chase on certain aspects of his civil suit filed against the town of Ocean City in June, issuing preliminary...READ MORE

New Bay Bridge Toll Set At $4

BERLIN -- State transportation officials clearly got the message about Marylanders’ dissatisfaction with a proposal to increase the tolls at the Bay Bridge in two phases over the next two years, agreeing yesterday to lower the proposed hikes in a compromise of sorts. Last spring, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced a plan to first double tolls at the Bay Bridge, from the current $2.50 one way to $5 this fall and more than triple the toll to $8 by July 2013. The proposed...READ MORE

‘Extreme Makeover’ Eyes Wicomico

SALISBURY – Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is returning to Delmarva, or more specifically Wicomico County, and the family to benefit will be announced this week. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a reality television series providing home renovations for less fortunate families and communities. The show's producers work with county officials and resources as well as a local construction contractor to build the home. The renovation includes interior, exterior and landscaping, which is to be...READ MORE

Ground Broken On Major County Sewer Plant Projects

WEST OCEAN CITY -- Major steps in improving sewer treatment in Worcester were launched this week with groundbreaking ceremonies for two significant wastewater treatment plants in opposite ends of the county. On Tuesday morning, federal, state and local officials broke ground on a new state-of-the-art $14.6 million wastewater treatment plant for the town of Snow Hill. A couple hours later, the same contingent put shovels in the earth during a groundbreaking ceremony for a $12.5 million...READ MORE

Resort Sticking With Rodney Marketing Campaign

OCEAN CITY – The “proof was in the pudding” that the town should continue with its familiar ad campaign, Rodney Saves, and this year’s new commercials were presented. “Rodney the Lifeguard” commercials have surfaced over the last couple of years saving people from their everyday lives to bring them on vacation in Ocean City. In past discussions, City Council members have questioned whether Rodney Saves has served its purpose and whether it’s time to move...READ MORE

Mayor’s Post Left Out Of Fire Marshal Process

OCEAN CITY – The City Council passed a handful of ordinances on second reading by an unanimous vote except for one concerning the involvement of the mayor in the hiring process of the new fire marshal. The ordinance on the table amended the current code, which allows for the Fire Prevention Commission to submit recommended names for the fire marshal position to the mayor for appointment and is voted on by the council. It excludes the city fire chief, the city manager and the normal...READ MORE

Shelter Service Cost Schools Nearly $50K

SNOW HILL -- The Worcester County Board of Education is facing almost $50,000 of unexpected expenses after having several schools serve as emergency shelters during Hurricane Irene last month. Whether any or all of those expenses will be reimbursed is still up in the air. County schools spent $22,381 during the weekend of Irene and an additional $22,500 was spent on in-kind services, such as extended electric costs, gas and employee costs. “There was a lot of people cost involved,”...READ MORE

Lack Of Trust Cited As Major Tourism Marketing Problem

OCEAN CITY – A marketing consultant may have come down on city officials too hard this week but was simply stating the truth in what he found by examining the town’s tourism and marketing. OCG President and founder Joe Lathrop was hired by the Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) as a marketing consultant. He has worked with at least 120 destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and this week he presented the board and town officials with his findings on Ocean City. “There is a...READ MORE

Sunfest Kite Festival Returns For 34th Year In Resort

OCEAN CITY -- See the skyline of Ocean City explode with color at this weekend’s Sunfest Kite Festival, Sept. 22-25 on the famous downtown Boardwalk. Celebrating its 34th year, this world-class event is recognized as one of the top 100 most popular venues on the planet. All are welcome to witness and participate in general kite flying, kite flying games, relays, “candy drops”, kite competitions, or just plain kite spectating, and it’s free. In September of 1977, kite...READ MORE

Film Festival Tickets Now On Sale

BERLIN -- Join the Assateague Coastkeeper® and the Assateague Coastal Trust when they host the Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour at Seacrets in Ocean City on Oct. 13. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is a collection of films from the annual festival held the third week of January in Nevada City, Calif. Now in its ninth year, Wild & Scenic focuses on films that speak to the environmental concerns and celebrations of our planet. “Films featured at Wild & Scenic give...READ MORE

Blackouts In Berlin Continue To Frustrate

BERLIN -- With frequent power outages causing headaches among Berlin citizens, town officials are urging patience though some are calling for more scrutiny over how Berlin handles its utility. “It [a power outage] is a major inconvenience,” admitted Mayor Gee Williams. Last Saturday marked the most recent in a string of blackouts that have been leaving Berlin in the dark since earlier this summer. There have already been a couple weather driven incidents in September, though severe...READ MORE

Bike Events Still Pleased Despite Lower Attendance

OCEAN CITY – A tornado followed by a weekend of rain introduced OC BikeFest to town but the event, but event organizers as well as Delmarva Bike Week representatives reported the weather didn’t hold them down. When The Dispatch last spoke with OC BikeFest’s organizer Cliff Sutherland, he said, “I’m hoping God’s good with the weather. We’ve got the rest handled.” This week Sutherland said although the weather didn’t cooperate the new event...READ MORE

Berlin Man Shot By OCPD Gets 12 Years

SNOW HILL -- A Berlin man, shot by Ocean City police last December during a stabbing attack on his estranged wife, was sentenced last week in Worcester County Circuit Court to 25 years in jail, about half of which was then suspended. Marvin Jefferson Mitchell, 28, in July entered an Alford plea to attempted first-degree murder and a pre-sentence investigation was ordered. In an Alford plea, a defendant does not plead guilty, but acknowledges the state has enough evidence to prosecute the case....READ MORE

Awards, Respect Follow Hughes To Restaurant 213

FRUITLAND -- Nationally-recognized and locally-respected Restaurant 213 has been offering fine dining in a small-town setting for nearly a decade. When owner and Executive Chef Jim Hughes decided to open Restaurant 213 in Fruitland more than eight years ago, his location wasn’t in the best of shape. “The building needed some attention,” he said. Today, the site is small but comfortable, with an inviting entryway and an herb and vegetable garden bordering one side wall. Hughes...READ MORE

Eastern Shore Postal Facility Faces Closure

BERLIN -- Senators Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin this week called for transparency and increased public input as the U.S. Postal Service again begins to study the possibility of closing the Easton Area Mail Processing Center, the hub for mail generated all over the Eastern Shore including Worcester and Wicomico Counties. In a letter to Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe, Mikulski and Cardin urged the U.S. Postal Service to keep the public fully involved in the decision. The Postal Service...READ MORE

Drugs, Knives Seized In Boardwalk Raid

OCEAN CITY -- Two days after an employee of the Maytalk store on the Boardwalk sold the now-illegal synthetic narcotic K-2 to undercover police detectives and taught them how to use it, OCPD officers last Thursday afternoon raided the establishment and found more than they bargained for. Earlier last week, OCPD Mounted Patrol officers received a tip from a citizen regarding the sale of K-2 at Maytalk, a Boardwalk store at 2nd Street. Three weeks ago, the Ocean City Mayor and Council passed an...READ MORE

Thief Escapes After Snatching Jewelry

OCEAN CITY -- Resort police this week are still looking for the suspect who robbed a Gold Coast Mall jewelry store late last Thursday, snatching roughly $50,000 worth of jewelry from the clerk who was showing it to the suspect. Around 3:40 p.m. last Thursday, Ocean City police responded to the Liljenquist and Beckstead jewelry store in the Gold Coast Mall for a reported theft that had just occurred. About 10 minutes earlier, an unidentified black male had entered the store and a sales associate...READ MORE

Announcements

Robert Lee Chandler and Pamela Leigh Holloway, both of Ocean City, have announced their engagement. The bride-to-be is the daughter of Ronald Holloway of Georgetown, Del. and the late Marie E. Holloway. The groom is the son of Bishop James and First Lady Mary Johnson of Selbyville, Del. The bride-to-be is a 2009 graduate of Wor-Wic Community College with an associate’s degree in nursing and is employed as a pediatric Registered Nurse with Three Lower Counties Community Services in...READ MORE