Archives

Council Reviews Upcoming Survey Questions

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City will be garnering the opinions and thoughts of local residents, voters and property owners through the town's participation this year in a National Citizen Survey. Kathy Mathias, assistant to the City Manager, came before the Mayor and Council Tuesday to update them on the progress of the survey that they approved earlier this year. According to Mathias, the surveys were initially to be sent out to 1200 people. 'We ran into some issues because of property owners not...READ MORE

County Encouraged By High School Test Scores

NEWARK - The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released 2007 High School Assessment (HSA) results this week. MSDE asked school systems across the state to simultaneously release HSA results for the class of 2009, the first cohort of students required to pass the four HSAs in order to earn a Maryland High School Diploma. 'Our school system's HSA scores indicate that our ongoing efforts to help students succeed on these assessments are working,' said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon...READ MORE

County Officials To Seek Berlin Plant Details

BERLIN - Seeking to refine the plan for two wastewater plants in Berlin, Worcester County will likely ask the town to provide a more detailed method of achieving its goals. A draft letter to the town, not yet approved by the Worcester County Planning Commission, identifies 15 items for consideration arising from a meeting between the town and county last week to further discuss the plan to add a new wastewater plant in addition to the existing Berlin plant, following the presentation of the idea...READ MORE

Flower St. Sidewalk Meeting Scheduled

BERLIN - Sidewalks on Flower St. in Berlin will take another step closer to completion next week when the town holds a long promised informational meeting for residents. The meeting will take place on 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, at the multi-purpose building on Flower St. 'We want to try to get all the questions answered for the community regarding their personal property, the easements, etc.,' said Berlin Mayor Tom Cardinale. The project engineer will outline the construction approach and...READ MORE

Marshals Nab Fugitive Wanted In Overdose Death

OCEAN CITY - A Newark, Del. man wanted in Ocean City on manslaughter and other charges for allegedly supplying the drugs to another man who died of an overdose over the Memorial Day weekend this year in the resort was caught last week by U.S. Marshals in Wilmington, Del. and awaits extradition to Worcester County to face the charges. The U.S. Marshals First State Fugitive Task Force arrested Aaron Joseph Hrehocik, 23, around 11 a.m. last Friday in Wilmington, Del. Earlier last week, the U.S....READ MORE

OC Fall Programs Provide Options For Residents

OCEAN CITY - Summer is quickly coming to an end and families across the country are starting to hang up their beach towels and put away their bathing suits, as they trade in their beach bag for their school books. With the end of the summer blues hanging over the heads of the children and parents in Worcester County, it is almost possible to forget the fun that is about to begin at Northside Park. While the weather might began to change Ocean City Recreation and Parks promises to increase...READ MORE

Ocean Downs Hands Out Annual Awards

BERLIN - The largest crowd of the summer enjoyed the Ocean Downs closing-night umbrella giveaway and fireworks show Saturday, Aug. 25. There were 3,625 fans on hand, which was the largest gathering at the Ocean Oval since closing night of 2005 when 4,175 filled the stands. In addition to 12 races, Ocean Downs presented a blanket to its 'Horse Of The Meet and honored the summer's leading driver and trainer. Seven year-old pacer Twin B Scamper earned 'Horse of the Meet' honors for owner/driver...READ MORE

Officials Suspect West Nile Virus Finding In County

SNOW HILL - The first West Nile Virus case in Maryland this year may have sprung up in Worcester County last week, say local and state health officials, but the diagnosis has not yet been proven correct. Tests confirming the illness should be back in early September, according to Karen Black of Maryland's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH). 'The test is still pending,' she said. The results could be back as soon as the first week of September, said Becky Shockley, director of...READ MORE

Resort Hotel Seeks Grant To Utilize State Program

OCEAN CITY - The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday approve the Beach Walk Hotel owner's request to apply for the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which will allow for the elevation of the flood prone building.  Beach Walk Hotel owner Danelle Amos, Planner Robert W. Nelson and Grants Coordinator Wayne Pryor came before the Mayor and Council at Tuesday's work session to discuss the Maryland Emergency Management Agency's (MEMA) program that could provide 75 percent of the funding...READ MORE

Ways To Better Avoidable Traffic Issues Discussed

OCEAN CITY - Weekend traffic in the summer months can be a headache in Ocean City, as cars inch slowly forward in an attempt to cross the Route 50 Bridge and see the blue sparkle of the ocean finally peak over the horizon line. The bumper-to-bumper traffic grind can become maddening as accidents shut down lanes, as every stop light turns red as you approach, or as was apparent this summer, the drawbridge breaks, sending you on a re-route to the Route 90 Bridge. Although traffic will be seeing a...READ MORE

Council, Developer Reach Accord On Bayside Project

OCEAN CITY - The contention surrounding the 88-unit Rivendell project reached a reprieve this week with the City Council voting unanimously to lift the stop work order issued earlier this month for the top floor of the building. The Buccin-Pollin Group, owner of the Rivendell, came before the Mayor and Council Tuesday afternoon with attorneys Wendy Stabler as well as Calvin Nip Jenkins, to request that the Mayor and Council lift the stop work order placed on the top floor of their building....READ MORE

First Female To Man Resort Lifeguard Stand Reflects

OCEAN CITY - Thirty years ago the beaches in Ocean City were covered with people enjoying the sun, the sand and of course the water. Among the crowds stood the lifeguard stands, with guards vigilantly watching the beaches and the waters. This scene may seem similar to what can be seen today when one walks out onto the beach, but there is one major difference, 30 years ago there was not a single female lifeguard; that is until Susan Cain paved the way. In an interview with The Dispatch, Susan...READ MORE

Open Container Enforcement Debate Continues In OC

OCEAN CITY - The discussion on changing the open container violation from a criminal misdemeanor to a municipal infraction continued at an Ocean City Police Commission meeting last week with further opinions being heard but little headway being made. The consideration to change the open container law from a criminal misdemeanor to a municipal infraction has been circulating for some time now. Under the town code, it is unlawful to possess or consume alcoholic beverages 'on any public street,...READ MORE

Allegations Against Teacher Spark Mixed Reactions In Arizona

BERLIN - More details emerged this week in the bizarre case of a former Worcester County resident, who allegedly absconded with hundreds of thousands of dollars in embezzled funds before heading west and assuming a new name and starting a new life, as the news of his apparent past reached friends and colleagues in his new home. Former West Ocean City resident Richard Brueckner, now 65, also known as Richard Thelander, in the late 1990s allegedly forged his now ex-wife's signature several times...READ MORE

Assateague Island Resources Called 'Fair' In Report

BERLIN - Assateague Island's natural resources are only in fair shape, according to a report by the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA). The NPCA cites problems with invasive species, over-sand vehicles, and water quality as significant factors in the rating of the Assateague Island National Seashore (AINS). The park earned a 'fair' rating, scoring 75 out of 100 points. 'In general, we don't have any disagreement with the findings of the report. We think it's a pretty fair assessment...READ MORE

Landlords Often See Foul Side Of Foreign Students

OCEAN CITY - Most agree Ocean City could not survive without the thousands of foreign seasonal workers who descend on the resort each year and gobble up the jobs once filled by American kids, but not everybody is completely enamored with the largest segment of the town's workforce. The foreign workers begin to arrive in the spring and, for the most part, stay long after their American counterparts head back to school or grow tired of their summer jobs. They often work two or three jobs around...READ MORE

Area Traffic Stop Results In Large Cocaine Bust

BERLIN - A Salisbury man well known to local law enforcement agencies was arrested last week in a significant cocaine bust after a routine traffic stop on Route 113 just north of Berlin. A little before 7 p.m. last Wednesday, a Maryland State Police trooper traveling west on Route 90 just west of its intersection with Route 113 observed a white Chevrolet SUV moving toward him at what appeared to be a high rate of speed. The trooper checked the vehicle with radar and noted it was going 65 mph in...READ MORE

Berlin Seeks End To Front Yard Parking

BERLIN - An ordinance intended to prohibit parking of cars in residential front yards proved to be less than straightforward Monday night with the Berlin Mayor and Council questioning just how 'a designated driveway' is defined. The council normally sits in silence when an ordinance is first read aloud by town attorney Dave Gaskill during a council meeting and rarely comment until the second reading. Motor vehicles, under the ordinance, must be 'parked on a designated driveway or parking pad...READ MORE