Articles

Cricket Center Benefit Key To Keeping Advocate Afloat

BERLIN -- Worcester County’s Cricket Center, created five years ago to advocate on behalf of victims of child physical and sexual abuse, is making a difference for the most vulnerable in the community, but the program continues to rely on the generosity of area residents to perpetuate the unfunded mandate. The county’s Child Advocacy Center, or Cricket Center, housed in a satellite office on the Atlantic General Hospital campus, provides a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to...READ MORE

City Accused Of Destroying Papers In Discrimination Suit

OCEAN CITY -- The civil suit filed last September alleging age bias and discrimination against the town of Ocean City for its hiring practices, which appeared to be heading toward a settlement last week, took a surprise turn this week when an amended complaint was filed alleging the town destroyed or deleted pertinent documents related to the case. Last September, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against the Mayor and Council for...READ MORE

Worcester County Outsources Jail Mental Care

SNOW HILL -- A growing prison population has finally exceeded Worcester County’s ability to provide mental health care to inmates, prompting officials to bring in a private agency. Currently, mental health services for the county jail are handled by the Worcester County Health Department (WCHD) and have been for many years. However, according to Health Officer Debbie Goeller, funding has remained static for more than a decade, while the prison population has increased significantly, making...READ MORE

Knife Attack At Resort Bar Leads To Assault Charges

OCEAN CITY -- A North Carolina man was arrested on first-degree assault and other charges this week after allegedly holding a knife to another man’s throat following an altercation at an uptown bar late Tuesday night. Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, Ocean City police responded to the Skyline Bar and Grill on the eighth floor of the Fenwick Inn for a reported assault that had just occurred. Hotel staff directed the officers to the victim, a local man, who told police he had been...READ MORE

Authorities Seek Sex Shop Burglar

WEST OCEAN CITY -- Police this week are searching for an unidentified man who kicked in the door of an adult store on Route 50 and stole a single item, a sex toy valued at over $100. Around 5 a.m. on Sept. 17, an unidentified man broke into the Red Light District. The store’s video surveillance tape shows the suspect, described as a white male with a slight build, wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, first attempting to break the store’s front door with a garden hose in the area. When...READ MORE

Berlin Legion Seeking To Grow With Open House

BERLIN -- Hoping to spark interest in a younger generation, the Berlin American Legion post will be holding an open house on Saturday, Nov. 12. “Most people recognize the disconnection between people my age and young people,” said American Legion representative Ray Smith. Smith came before the Mayor and Council Monday to discuss raising general awareness about the legion and to promote the open house. Founded in 1919, the American Legion is the nation’s largest veterans’...READ MORE

Berlin Council Okay With Outdoor Bar Request

BERLIN -- Though some were skittish to further promote drinking during town events, the Berlin Mayor and Council decided Monday to allow The Globe to operate an outside bar during the next New Year’s Eve celebration, provided the business can acquire all the proper licensing. Jennifer Dawicki, co-owner of The Globe in downtown Berlin, approached the council requesting permission to set up an outside bar along a stretch of Broad St. from 6 p.m.-1 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24. “I’m...READ MORE

Councilwoman Questions Berlin Practices

BERLIN -- Discussion over updating Berlin’s Town Standard Preface led one council member to harshly criticize some of her colleagues this week and to question how the town’s government operates. “It’s all smoke and mirrors,” said Councilwoman Lisa Hall. Many of those criticized, including Mayor Gee Williams and Coucnilman Troy Purnell, were dismissive of Hall’s accusations, asserting that they were completely without merit. “We’ve got the best team...READ MORE

Salisbury OKs Study Of Stormwater, Too

SALISBURY -- Salisbury will be joining Ocean City and Berlin in undergoing the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s (UMES) stormwater study. The City Council was also briefed on what the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) will expect from Salisbury in terms of strategies to reduce nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay. “Ocean City is complete, Berlin is in the middle; we’d really like to say Salisbury is just beginning,” said UMES Senior Research Associate Dan Nees...READ MORE

Procedural Issues Lead City Council To Deny Extension

SALISBURY – After two years, plans to revitalize Station 16 downtown have come to a stop, as the Salisbury City Council disapproved an extension of the purchasing process because of faults in the procedure. This week the City Council faced a decision of whether to grant a 60-day extension to Coastal Venture Properties LLC (CVP) to present a disposition agreement to the city for the purchase of Station 16, a firehouse located downtown that has been considered surplus property. According to...READ MORE

Copper Thieves Caused Wednesday’s Outage

BERLIN -- Wednesday’s brief but expansive power outage from Bethany to Ocean City and from West Ocean City to Berlin was allegedly caused by copper thieves who cut about 250 feet of wire from two sub-stations in nearby Delaware. Around 1:26 p.m. on Wednesday, the power went out across a large section of Delmarva from Bethany Beach to Berlin and practically everywhere in between, setting off a collective groan from area residents weary of chronic outages from storms and failing systems....READ MORE

5-Hour Standoff Ends Peacefully

SALISBURY -- A Salisbury man faces attempted murder and other charges this week after a five-hour standoff with police with hostages involved on Wednesday. Around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Salisbury Police responded to a reported physical altercation with a gunshot fired near a residence on Washington Street. A witness reported the altercation between the suspect, later identified as Richard Darnell Turner, 44, and another man, during which Turner allegedly produced a handgun and fired a shot in...READ MORE

Berlin Turning Pink This Month

BERLIN -- In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness month this October, the Worcester County chapter of Women Supporting Women (WSW) will once again be holding a candlelight vigil in Berlin on Friday, Oct. 14. “We’re getting ready to turn the town pink,” joked Rota Knott, Coordinator of the WSW Worcester Chapter. Based in Berlin, the Worcester Chapter was founded in 1998, though this is only the second year it has done Turn the Town Pink (TTP), a string of events throughout...READ MORE

Resort Condo Building Struck Again By Vehicle

OCEAN CITY -- For the second time in a little over a year, a mid-town Ocean City condominium building this week suffered severe damage when a vehicle collided with the structure fronting Coastal Highway near 65th Street. Around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday, Ocean City police responded to a reported single-vehicle accident on Coastal Highway at 65th Street involving the Sand Pebbles condominium building, the same condo building that had been struck by a dump truck and nearly destroyed in April...READ MORE

Ocean City Police Report Bike Week Stats

OCEAN CITY – A considerable decrease in crime related activity during Delmarva Bike Week was reported this week in Ocean City, with the lone exception being a 100 percent increase in driving under the influence arrests. Ocean City Police Department Crime Analyst Brandon Reim presented statistics associated with the annual September event He started off by comparing the number of calls for police service this year compared to last. “This year we had significantly fewer calls for...READ MORE

Restaurants Retain Outdoor Dining Exemption

OCEAN CITY – Restaurants will remain exempt from providing additional parking if their outdoor dining area is considered to be 51 percent open on all sides. The Mayor and City Council have decided to approve a code amendment recommended by the Planning and Zoning Commission onto first reading regarding outdoor dining space and a restaurant’s required amount of parking. Zoning Administrator Blaine Smith explained the Planning and Zoning Commission have been working on the code...READ MORE

Seaside Dance Academy Marks 10-Year Anniversary

BERLIN – Seaside Dance Academy in Berlin is setting a successful pace for students in dance and also in life. Owner and director of Seaside Dance Academy, Lisa Tingle, opened her doors in September of 2001. Tingle settled in the area with her new husband, James Tingle, after graduating with a dance degree from Point Place College in Pittsburgh, Pa. Previously, she had spent eight summers in the area as a can-can dancer for Frontier Town where her husband acted as a cowboy at the...READ MORE

Pink Ribbon Classic Events On Tap

BERLIN -- The American Cancer Society of North Worcester County has burst out of the starting gate with a series of Pink Ribbon Classic events held in conjunction with October's Breast Cancer Awareness month, an international health campaign designed to increase awareness of the causes, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of breast cancer. Bahia Marina in Ocean City kicked off the Pink Ribbon Series with Capt. Steve Harman’s Annual "Poor Girls Open", a ladies-only catch and...READ MORE

Farming Community Rallies To Fund Legal Battle

BERLIN -- A Berlin farm family embroiled in a legal battle with an environmental group over alleged pollution violations got the support of some agricultural heavyweights, including its co-defendant last week with the launch of a website and associated fund raising effort. The Maryland Farm Bureau, the Wicomico County Young Farmers and Ranchers and Perdue last week announced the launch of SaveFarmFamilies.org, a website sponsored by the industry to help raise much-needed funds for the legal...READ MORE

OC Store Owner, Employee Charged In Boardwalk Raid

OCEAN CITY -- A Boardwalk business owner and his employee were charged last week with possession and distribution of synthetic drugs banned by the town of Ocean City after a raid on the establishment earlier this month. Ocean City police last Friday charged Fransisco Rico Hernandez, 48, of West Ocean City, and Blen Giday Berhani, 24, also of West Ocean City, with the possession and distribution of substances banned by the town of Ocean City. Fransisco owns the Maytalk store raided by masked...READ MORE

Berlin Residents May Have To Wait For Street Work

BERLIN -- Wondering whether it might be better to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone, the Berlin Mayor and Council may delay a resurfacing project till the town can afford to address stormwater issues on the road as well. “Can we afford to do it all?” asked Mayor Gee Williams. The plan to resurface Washington St. has been in the works for several weeks, but a number of new options gave the council pause during their meeting Monday. Town Administrator Tony Carson informed...READ MORE

Jewish Community To Mark Yom Kippur

At sundown on Friday, Oct. 7, Jews around the world will mark the start of the holiest day of the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Congregations across the Lower Eastern Shore will gather for a spiritually powerful experience that, according to Rabbi Arnold Bienstock of Beth Israel Congregation, a Conservative synagogue in Salisbury, is as relevant today as it was more than 5,000 years ago. “For most American Jews, Yom Kippur serves as a connecting point with their...READ MORE

Buying Local A Tradition For Dolle’s

OCEAN CITY -- More than a century after opening on the Boardwalk, Dolle’s Candyland is still making candy in Ocean City and considering expanding to new areas. According to co-owner Anna Dolle Bushnell, however, even if the company reaches out to new markets, it will never leave Ocean City. “We’ll continue to be a staple in Ocean City, a tradition,” said Bushnell. Celebrating its 101st anniversary this year, Dolle’s has upgraded their operations more than a few...READ MORE

Worcester Plans Watershed Meeting

SNOW HILL -- Worcester County officials are encouraging interested watershed residents and stakeholders to attend a Watershed Implementation Plan meeting on Oct. 5, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the third floor training room in the Worcester County Government Center in Snow Hill. The Worcester County Government, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Environment (MDE), Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Worcester County Soil Conservation District, The Nature Conservancy, the towns of...READ MORE

West Ocean City Hosts Harbor Day

OCEAN CITY -- On Saturday, Oct. 1, the waterfront docks of West Ocean City will come alive with the sights, sounds and smells of the sea. Harbor Day at the Docks will take place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and is being held along the working harbor docks adjacent to Sunset Avenue. Created in 2008, this free admission event will celebrate the history and heritage of local maritime traditions, including both commercial fishing and sport fishing. Highlights will include stories from the sea where local...READ MORE

Wicomico County School Board Views Aired

OCEAN CITY – County residents spoke out last week on whether Wicomico’s school board members should be elected or remain appointed by the governor. Earlier this month, the Wicomico County Council voted in favor of holding a “straw ballot” asking residents to vote next November for either an elected school board or one appointed by the governor. The results of the ballot will be for information only and will have no legal impact. Results from the ballot will give...READ MORE

Berlin, WYFCS Look To Add After-School Program

BERLIN -- Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services (WYFCS) delivered a summary of the results of this year’s first-ever town summer camp to the Berlin Mayor and Council Monday, while also outlining plans for extending the program through the school year. “We are looking forward to starting some after school activities,” WYFCS Executive Director Teresa Fields told the council. The WYFCS Berlin summer camp, which went through a test run this year, wrapped up last month with...READ MORE

Seaside Dance Academy Marks 10-Year Anniversary

BERLIN – Seaside Dance Academy in Berlin is setting a successful pace for students in dance and also in life. Owner and director of Seaside Dance Academy, Lisa Tingle, opened her doors in September of 2001. Tingle settled in the area with her new husband, James Tingle, after graduating with a dance degree from Point Place College in Pittsburgh, Pa. Previously, she had spent eight summers in the area as a can-can dancer for Frontier Town where her husband acted as a cowboy at the...READ MORE