Articles

Worcester Officials Reflect, Look Ahead

SNOW HILL -- With the calendar set to flip to a new year this weekend, several Worcester County Commissioners took the time to reflect on the struggles and successes of this year, while speculating on the challenges to be faced in 2012. Though the high points for the commission were unanimously the work of county employees and strength of Worcester compared to other parts of the state, the low points of the year ran the gamut from the struggle over Snow Hill High School (SHHS) to increased state...READ MORE

Worcester Assistant Super Barber Plans To Retire

SNOW HILL -- A couple months after the announcement that Worcester County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Andes would be retiring at the end of the school year, Assistant Superintendent for Administration Ed Barber has revealed recently that he will also be leaving his position in June. Barber’s announcement coincides with word that Worcester Technical High School Principal Jane Pruitt will be giving up her post. Despite his decision to retire becoming public knowledge only weeks after...READ MORE

Route 90 Project Nearly Complete

OCEAN CITY -- State Highway Administration (SHA) officials announced this week the final phase of the ongoing Route 90 guardrail replacement project, which has caused overnight lane closures for the last two months, is nearing the finish line and is expected to be completed next week. The final phase includes removing and replacing all existing guardrails along the westbound side of Route 90 between Route 589 and Route 113. The final stretch is expected to be completed over the course of three...READ MORE

Pollitt Seeking Property Tax Revenue Cap Review

SALISBURY – County Executive Rick Pollitt gave his State of Address this week, looking back at 2011 and looking ahead to 2012. “We know of the growing concern of the diminished capacity providing for quality public education, public safety, and infrastructure, the kinds of things that we as residents and taxpayers expect and demand of our county government,” he said. “We have seen a steady decline over the past 10 years in many of the benchmarks that define a community as...READ MORE

Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY – Due to the holidays, the Mayor and Council enjoyed some time off this week but worked out a number of items last week. The following items were discussed: Pension Policy Amendment An unscheduled agenda item was brought up having to do with amending town employee pension policies that were written in 2004. Human Resources Director Wayne Evans explained that there were two ordinances on the table. One addressed each of the two pension plans, public safety and general...READ MORE

New Winged Plow Added To SHA’s Winter Arsenal

BERLIN -- Despite the unusual balmy weather that has persisted over the local area of late, cold temperatures, snow and ice are inevitable, and the State Highway Administration (SHA) has a few new weapons in its arsenal to combat them. SHA officials this month released its snow removal plans for the Lower Eastern Shore, including Worcester, Wicomico, Somerset and Dorchester counties, including a new “winged plow” that will be utilized if and when snow falls over the area. The wing...READ MORE

Medicinal Marijuana Among Pre-Filed Legislation In Md.

BERLIN -- With the opening of the 2012 Maryland General Assembly now just under two weeks away, nearly 100 pieces of legislation of local and state interest have already been pre-filed in advance of the session. The Maryland General Assembly reconvenes on Jan. 11, and before the 90-day session is over, state lawmakers will debate and ultimately vote on thousands of pieces of legislation from the gravely serious to the somewhat mundane. With two weeks to go, already 47 bills have been pre-filed...READ MORE

Jim Hall Looking To Keep City On Conservative Path

OCEAN CITY – City officials are excitedly moving ahead into 2012, although future challenges are acknowledged. This past year has been a “whirlwind” in Ocean City, as Council President Jim Hall puts it. Many changes have taken place around town from cuts in town employee pay and benefits and the dismissal of former City Manager Dennis Dare to bringing new events to town including the OC BikeFest and the Dew Tour. Taking a look back at 2011, Jim Hall said he has “no...READ MORE

Del. Wind Contract Cancelled

OCEAN CITY -- While legislation opening the door for the development of offshore wind power off the coast of Ocean City will almost certainly be introduced in the upcoming General Assembly session, a major player in both the Delaware and Maryland projects announced this week it was backing off its plans for the near term. Delmarva Power announced this week NRG Energy, the parent company of Bluewater Wind, had cancelled its long-term power purchase agreement, which the two parties signed in 2008...READ MORE

Bill Would Tweak Slots Wording

OCEAN CITY -- Among the dozens of bills pre-filed in advance of the 2012 General Assembly session is a piece of legislation introduced by Eastern Shore Senators Jim Mathias (D-38) and Richard Colburn (R-37) that would alter the amount of charitable donations service clubs and fraternal organizations make to local causes. After three unsuccessful tries in the General Assembly, state lawmakers last spring finally approved a bill adding Worcester to the list of eight other counties on the Eastern...READ MORE

Berlin Selects Contractor For Spray Site

BERLIN -- An additional spray site for the town of Berlin should be 100 percent finished around this time next year, said town officials. The Mayor and Council agreed to a contract with AP Croll, a Delaware-based construction firm, Tuesday for the completion of the town’s Newark spray site location. Croll will be adding a lagoon, pump stations and other units to the property. “That will be the last piece in the construction phase,” said Town Administrator Tony Carson. The $3.9...READ MORE

Berlin Eyes Net Metering Rider

BERLIN -- Interest among business owners and residents has Berlin officials looking into a net metering rider that would allow property owners to pay for a portion of their energy bill by generating their own electricity. “It has to be generated through means approved by the Public Service Commission (PSA),” said Mayor Gee Williams. There are four acceptable means of self-energy generation, according to the PSA. Biomass, fuel cells, solar and wind generators are all considered...READ MORE

Animal Cruelty Nets 18 Months

SNOW HILL -- Two days after getting sentenced to a combined 20 years for convictions on five counts of possession of child pornography, a Berlin man was sentenced last Thursday to an additional 18 months for animal cruelty stemming from an incident last August. On Aug. 24, Berlin Police received a tip that Greenberg was in possession of animals in compromised health conditions in direct violation of his probation for an animal cruelty conviction in Salisbury in August 2010. When officers arrived...READ MORE

Small Business Center Interest Growing In Worcester

SNOW HILL -- The update given to the Worcester County Commissioners last week on the condition of small business in the area turned out to be a silver cloud with a dark lining. Maryland Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Regional Director John Hickman noted that interest in using the center has grown enough in the last year that his Berlin office has had to double its service time, from half-a-day once a week to a full day. “Our client volume is fairly steady,” wrote Hickman in...READ MORE

Extensive Probe Leads To Indictment

OCEAN CITY -- A Worcester County grand jury last week indicted an Ocean City man on child pornography charges following a nearly two-year investigation. Last Tuesday, the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) arrested Laurence John Bode, 60, of Ocean City, after a grand jury indicted him on 16 child pornography charges earlier this month. The grand jury indicted Bode after an 18-month investigation into his alleged illicit activities that began back in July 2010. OCPD detectives began their...READ MORE

Ace Printing and Mailing Planning To Go Solar In 2012

OCEAN CITY – A Berlin business is moving forward in taking on renewable energy to not only benefit itself but the community as well. Ace Printing and Mailing owner Thom Gulyas said he has been investigating solar energy for his business for about three years now. He interviewed quite a few different companies to install solar panels onto his roof and settled on Flexera. According to Flexera Vice President Benjamin Farr, the company is an engineering-based firm that specializes in energy...READ MORE

Music Fest Acts Could Be Released In February

OCEAN CITY – The process to have High Tide Music Festival come to town is on schedule as the event’s organizers have set a goal to have a lineup and its headlining bands released by February. Founders Entertainment Festival Project Manager Tom Russell last week said that offers have been sent out to headliners and he is awaiting confirmations but names cannot be released due to confidentiality. “We’re excited about it and it’s hopeful that some of these headliners...READ MORE

Plan To Reroute Berlin’s Street Closures Rejected

BERLIN -- After learning that changing street closures for town events was not an option, Berlin officials brainstormed other ways to increase foot traffic to businesses that lie off the beaten path. Earlier this month, several residents approached the Mayor and Council about the possibility of rerouting traffic closures to open up more space for visitors in downtown Berlin during special events. The current street cutoff for most festivals is at the intersection of Bay and Main streets. If the...READ MORE

Worcester Youth Conducting Annual Appeal For Funds

BERLIN -- Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services (WYFCS) is in the midst of conducting its annual appeal, seeking contributions from area residents so the organization can continue to provide local services. Development and Donor Relations Director Stefanie Gordy explained that the appeal plays a major role in providing WYFCS with enough funding to operate throughout the year. “There is a common misconception that we are a county agency,” she said. Gordy clarified that WYFCS...READ MORE

Route 113 Overpass Lanes Reopened

SALISBURY -- The State Highway Administration (SHA) last week re-opened all travel lanes associated with the $6.7 million rehabilitation of the Route 13 overpass over Route 50 in Salisbury. SHA may institute temporary single lane closures in early January to complete sidewalk and landscaping work.  All remaining work is expected to be finished during the first weeks of 2012, weather permitting. SHA started the project in fall 2009 with major work getting underway in spring 2010 and is part...READ MORE

New Pool Regs Meeting Set

OCEAN CITY -- A public information session outlining new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for public pools and spas throughout Worcester County and across the state is scheduled for Jan. 10 at the Ocean Pines Library from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Last week, state officials announced hundreds of pools and spas in the resort area and thousands more across the state could be forced to comply with rigorous new ADA standards or run the risk of not getting their permits issued by state and...READ MORE

Ocean Pines Adds Curbside Recycling

OCEAN PINES -- The Ocean Pines Association last week awarded Waste Management of Maryland an exclusive three-year agreement for curbside collection of household garbage and single-stream recycling for residential properties in the community. Starting next week, Waste Management will start twice per week garbage collection, and every-other-week recycling service will be phased in over the next couple months.  Starting today, every resident of Ocean Pines interested in continuing or...READ MORE

State Approves County Conservation Easement

BERLIN -- Worcester County’s growing list of lands placed in perpetual conservation easement got a little bigger last week when the state’s Board of Public Works approved a proposal to permanently conserve a 33-acre tract along the Pocomoke River. The state’s three-member Board of Public Works, which includes Gov. Martin O’Malley, Comptroller Peter Francot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, last week approved the preservation of 33 acres of streamside forests, natural areas and...READ MORE

New Sign Law Is Here

BERLIN -- Travelers across Worcester County and the Lower Shore can expect to see far fewer illegally-placed signs along state highways next week when a new law prohibiting their placement and allowing state and local governments to recuperate the cost of removing them goes into effect on Jan. 1. Passed during the 2011 General Assembly session, the new law created a three-month warning period beginning in October for the removal of illegal signs along state-maintained roadways. Starting Jan. 1,...READ MORE

Gansler Issues Holiday Reminders

BERLIN -- With Christmas in the books and the wrapping paper and boxes piled by the curb, Maryland Attorney General Doug Gansler this week issued a few tips for consumers to avoid post-holiday trauma when returning or exchanging gifts. Because an otherwise festive holiday season can turn sour when attempting to return merchandise or use older gift cards, Gansler this week is advising Marylanders to know the policies and conditions that are in place to protect consumers. “No one wants to...READ MORE

Va. Men Busted With Counterfeit Goods

BERLIN -- Three Virginia men were arrested on counterfeit merchandize charges last week after police discovered hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of knock-off products in their van during a routine traffic stop in Berlin. Around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, a Maryland State Police trooper pulled over a Chevy passenger van on southbound Route 113 near Route 50 for negligent driving and speeding. After approaching the van, the trooper observed a significant amount of cargo in the rear of the...READ MORE

Families’ Holidays Brightened At Children’s House

OCEAN CITY -- Children and families coping with critical illness were able to relax and enjoy the holidays last Friday when the Believe in Tomorrow Children’s Foundation House by the Sea hosted its annual Christmas party in Ocean City. “It’s amazing that they go through all of this effort,” said Cheryl Urban, whose 7-year-old son Morgan was invited by the foundation to last Friday’s event. Along with his mother, Morgan Urban was able to bring both an older brother...READ MORE