April 25, 2008

Thursday, May 1 - Berlin Fills Planning Dept. Holes

BERLIN - The town of Berlin has at last hired a new Superintendent of Planning and Zoning. Chuck Ward will leave his position as a planner with Wicomico County's planning office to join Berlin's staff as Planning Superintendent in 30 days. The town has also hired Rachel Bomar to fill the new Deputy Administrative Director position created this year to assist Administrative Director Linda Bambary. Both positions were advertised twice to generate suitable candidates. Berlin has gone eight months...READ MORE

Wednesday, April 30 - OC Open Container Law Changed

OCEAN CITY - Open container violations will no longer be an arrestable offense in the resort town, after the City Council voted six to one this week to move forward with the proposal to change the offense to a non-arrestable, municipal infraction. For years, local government officials have gone back and forth over the open container issue, weighing the pros and cons of changing open container violations from a criminal misdemeanor to a municipal infraction. A decision was finally made this week...READ MORE

Tuesday, April 29 - Students Observe Pre-Prom Message

BERLIN - Members of Stephen Decatur High School's Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) recently held two mock accidents, one for juniors and one for seniors, on April 24 and 25. These pre-prom exercises were conducted to vividly demonstrate the harmful and often fatal effects of poor choices, such as drinking and driving. In the enactment, the accident scene was created by a drunk driver, played by senior Jeff Curry, who struck and killed a pedestrian, played by senior Elizabeth...READ MORE

We Remember Those Who Have Passed

Andre Lavanceau OCEAN CITY - Andre Lavanceau, right, 71, of Ocean City and formerly of Dayton, Md., died Tuesday, April 22 at home. Lavanceau had been an HVAC contractor and a pastry chef. He was a member of the Ocean City Parrothead Club. He was preceded in death by his parents, Daniel and Jeanne Casou Lavanceau, and a daughter, Susanne C. Perry. He is survived by wife, Patricia Ilczuk-Lavanceau of Ocean City; son, Andre D. Lavanceau of Roxana, Del.; daughter, Colette M. Pountnay and her...READ MORE

Council Unanimously Supports Fire Change

OCEAN CITY - The City Council gave unanimous approval to the appointment of one fire chief at Monday night's meeting, marking what many hope will be the first of several steps toward a true, combination fire service in Ocean City. The recommendation calling for Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) Fire Chief Chris Larmore to become the town's first fire chief came after a two-day meeting of the minds last week. After a full day of presentations from other fire departments and a second day...READ MORE

Two Brothers Busted for Pot

OCEAN CITY - A three-month undercover narcotics investigation carried out by the OCPD ended in the bust of two Ocean City brothers last week. During the investigation, undercover narcotics officers made three marijuana purchases from one of the suspects, Caleb Ochse, 21, of Ocean City. The officers then obtained an arrest warrant for Ochse and a search and seizure warrant for his residence on Bayshore Drive in the resort, where Ochse lives with his brother, Joseph Ochse, 19. Upon entering the...READ MORE

Local Riders Enjoy Good Start

Autumn Grove Stables in Berlin kicked off its 2008 show season at the first Chesapeake Bay Horse Show Association (CBHSA) event on April 12 and returned with more than its share of awards and ribbons. Isabell Golden of Berlin and her pony Moose earned a two firsts and a fourth in Walk Trot Equitation making them champions of the division. Paige Kreppel of Berlin and her pony Abby earned a first and two fourths in the Mini-Stirrup Equitation, while Maddie Farlow and her pony Tommy Bahama earned...READ MORE

"Hondo" Receives State Award

OCEAN CITY- Ocean City's own Albin 'Hondo' Handy last week received one of the Maryland Recreation and Parks Department's most prestigious awards, the Citation Award, at the organization's annual conference at the Clarion Hotel. During the awards ceremony last Thursday, Handy was honored with the state department's Citation Award, which is given each year to a recreation professional that has demonstrated significant and exemplary service to the field of parks and recreation. 'Hondo,' as most...READ MORE

Seahawks Remain Unbeaten

Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity lacrosse team remained unbeaten this week with a 17-8 win over visiting Queen Anne's on Tuesday. The Seahawks led just 7-4 at the half, but pulled away in the second half to preserve their spotless record. Pictured right, Decatur's Bethany Howe moves in on the Queen Anne's net for a first half goal against the Lions. Photo by SJS ...READ MORE

Mallards Top Lowell, 9-7

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's men's varsity lacrosse team's midseason tour against teams from all over the mid-Atlantic region stopped at home on Tuesday when the Mallards defeated visiting Lowell of Massachusetts, 9-7, in a tight, well-played game by both sides. Worcester ramped up its schedule this season in an effort to raise the level of the competition it plays and gain valuable exposure for its players. The most recent leg of the journey included a home game against Sidwell Friends of...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publishers Desk

Considering the narrow lanes on the Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge, also known as the Route 50 Bridge, it's a wonder there have not been a rash of accidents or at least busted rearview mirrors. Although no serious accidents have been reported as a result of the construction, one incident reported in this week's 'Cops and Courts' section revealed the work is getting under some drivers' skin more than others. It appears a 52-year-old woman became agitated over a near-collision as her vehicle and...READ MORE

Increasing Taxes Should Not Even Be Considered

Budget talks are heating up across the region. That's not usually an exciting topic for most readers, but a couple big announcements made this week deserve some elaboration. Ocean City property owners could see a two-cent reduction in the property tax rate if the City Council accepts the city manager's proposed spending plan, and county is looking to leave its rate as is. Any government official looking to increase the property tax rate this year should be checked out mentally, and the...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Let Voices Be Heard Editor: I'd like to encourage those citizens of Berlin who truly care about their town to attend the upcoming Comprehensive Plan community input meeting on April 30 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. If you are concerned that your town is becoming something other than what you want, that your taxes seem to be covering more than what you and your family need, and that the town center is becoming more of a Disneyfied facade of Main Street than a functioning one, it's time to stand up and...READ MORE

City Manager Proposes Tax Rate Drop In Budget

OCEAN CITY - A declining housing market mixed with skyrocketing fuel and energy costs are anticipated to affect the resort town in fiscal year 2009, predicted City Manager Dennis Dare in his presentation of the proposed budget this week. 'The budget recognizes we are entering a time of uncertainty. We are faced with rising energy costs. Gas may approach $4 per gallon during the summer driving season. The housing downturn is having a large impact on many people nationwide. These factors, and...READ MORE

Gulyas Joins Colleagues, Votes Against Tax Differential

SNOW HILL - In what was a rather quiet end to what has become an annual contentious debate, the County Commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to reject Ocean City's request for compensation for duplicated services, or tax differential. For years, Ocean City has requested tax differential compensation from the county for services it provides for its citizens that the county does not have to provide. It's a complicated issue to be sure and perhaps the best example is law enforcement. The...READ MORE

New Coastal Bays Head Named

OCEAN CITY - The Maryland Coastal Bays Program announced last week 10-year veteran Dave Wilson will take over as executive director. The former public outreach coordinator started with the program in 1997 as work began to unite fishermen, farmers, builders, scientists, and interested citizens to develop a consensus-based plan to clean up the bays behind Ocean City and Assateague. Last week, Wilson took over as full-time director after serving as acting director since January when Dave Blazer...READ MORE

Friday, April 25 - Remains ID'd As OC Resident

BERLIN - The state Medical Examiner's Office on Monday positively identified the human remains discovered near a vacant residence in Somerset County last week as a former Ocean City resident who went missing in February 2006 and her suspected murderer was identified and arrested a short time later in North Carolina. Using dental records, the remains found in the backyard of a vacant home in rural Somerset County on April 10 were found to be Rhonda Lee Parks, whose last known address was on 4th...READ MORE

Ocean City

OCEAN CITY The Meridian Daily 10-4 Oceanfront Residences New Construction Dan Clayland Coldwell Banker 410-520-0072 OCEAN CITY Bella Vista Daily 10-4 3BR Bayside Condos Coldwell Banker 410-723-1000 OCEAN CITY Bahia Vista 10th St. Bayside Mon-Fri 11-3 3&4BR Condos Dan Clayland Coldwell Banker 410-524-6111 OCEAN CITY Bel Mare Somerset Street Daily 11-3 3BR/2BA New Const. Skip Schlesinger Re/Max Premier Properties 410-520-8118 OCEAN CITY South Beach Boardwalk at 7th Fri-Sun 11-3 3&4BR...READ MORE

West Ocean City - Ocean Pines - Berlin - MD - VA

WEST OCEAN CITY Sailor's Watch Golf Course Road Sat & Sun 10-4 New 3BR, 3.5BA Luxury Townhouses Coldwell Banker VIRGINIA 3205 Salty Way Captains Cove Sat & Sun 10-2 4BR/3BA Waterfront For Sale by Owner 410-365-8561 VIRGINIA Coulbourn Mill Road Sat 10-4 3BR/2BA Cozy Rancher Decked Pool Tamera Myers Coldwell Banker Eastern Shore 800-258-4853 BERLIN Purnell Crossing Tues-Sun 11-6 3BR/2.5BA Villas w/ 2-car Garage Ryan Homes 866-776-9818 OCEAN PINES Canvasback Road Sat 11-3 3BR/3.5BA...READ MORE

Diving Into The Area's Cultural Activities

An inside look at the regional arts scene through photographs.  ...READ MORE

County Vows No Tax Rate Hike In Budget

SNOW HILL - It was different year, same story this week as Worcester officials got their first real glimpse at the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget, and while the commissioners have to reconcile a difference in revenue and requested expenditures totaling over $14 million, the elected body vowed raising taxes is not an option. County Administrator Gerald Mason this week laid out the good, bad and ugly in the proposed fiscal year 2009 budget this week, and as anticipated, there appears to be more...READ MORE

OC Holds Line On Budget Requests

SNOW HILL - There were no buckets of popcorn, no saltwater taffy and no T-shirts this year when Ocean City officials met with the County Commissioners to discuss the town's budget requests for fiscal year 2009, just a somber realization simply holding the line on what was allocated last year was probably a prudent approach in what will be a tough budget year for both entities. Earlier this year, Ocean City officials resurrected the old tax differential issue seeking roughly $13 million from the...READ MORE

State Tightens Geese Laws

BERLIN - State officials this week announced modified regulations to help farmers and property owners cope with an increasingly larger population of Canada geese that have taken up residence on fields, parks and golf courses across Maryland including Worcester County. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) this week announced it was partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wildlife Services on a plan to provide farmers and other property owners across the state with the...READ MORE

Suspect Admits To Killing Woman In Her Home

WEST OCEAN CITY - A local woman was murdered in her West Ocean City home last Sunday evening by a neighbor during what allegedly started as a dispute about an unsigned check for some yard work the suspect did for the victim. Roberto Antonio Murillo, 28, of West Ocean City, is being held behind bars without bail after being charged with the first-degree murder of Cecilia Dea Parker, 56, in her home just a few doors down from his own residence Sunday evening. Parker was discovered deceased in her...READ MORE

Tech-Savvy Detectives Nab Burglars

OCEAN CITY - Ocean City police this week made two arrests in connection with a rash of burglaries in the resort, using the Internet and other cyber-savvy techniques to catch the perpetrators, who were setting up the thefts through their computers. In early April, OCPD detectives were investigating multiple burglaries that had been carried out in the resort area since early January and began to notice several of the cases had similar characteristics and that in most of the cases, flat-screen...READ MORE

Annual Kite Expo In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY - The resort will kick off the season early by painting the sky with every color under the sun at the Maryland International Kite Expo (MIKE), set for this weekend. The festival will be showcasing a spectacular cast of kite builders and sport kite competitors from around the United States. The 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic Stunt Kite Championships starts on Saturday morning. Individual and team flyers from around the country choreograph flight routines to music at one of the most...READ MORE

Cancer Express Bus To Make OC Stop

OCEAN CITY - The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) 2008 Fight Back Express, a nationwide bus tour awareness effort, will be stopping in Ocean City this June, as the bus makes its three-day tour through Maryland. Local American Cancer Society volunteer Dawne Pappas came before the Mayor and Council this week to request permission to park the Fight Back Express bus at North Division Street, on June 3, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Fight Back Express bus will be traveling across...READ MORE

County Approves Program's Grant Request

SNOW HILL - Satisfied the state would continue to pony up its share, at least in the current fiscal cycle, county officials on Tuesday approved a requested $200,000 in-kind matching grant for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP). The MCBP is in the process of applying for National Estuary Program grant funding for the time period of October 2008 to September 2009, but in order to qualify for the $591,000-plus in federal funding, the local program must provide an in-kind amount from...READ MORE

County Ranks Route 589 Work As Official No. 2

SNOW HILL - While Worcester County's top priority in terms of highway projects funded by the state continues to be the ongoing dualization of Route 113, the County Commissioners on Tuesday made it known in no uncertain terms the second most important highway project in Worcester is Route 589. The commissioners on Tuesday reviewed a 'highway needs inventory' list it will submit to the state before the end of the month. The document is a wish list of sorts submitted to the state by county...READ MORE

County Volunteers Honored By State At Ceremony

ANNAPOLIS - A number of Worcester County residents were recognized this week for outstanding service at the 25th Annual Governor's Volunteer Service Awards ceremony at the Maryland Hall for Creative Arts. 'Of course we realize that we haven't covered everyone with this ceremony this afternoon,' said Lt. Governor Brown. 'But as Marylanders, we all benefit from the extra effort put forth by the people who are here and others who are not.' The Governor's Volunteer Service Awards presentation...READ MORE

Giant Chess Set Planned For OC's Somerset Plaza

OCEAN CITY - Somerset Street will be seeing some changes this summer, with the opening of a new retail store along the downtown street as well as the addition of a giant chess set, to be displayed for public use in front of the store. Summer Set Games, a retail shop featuring family board games, will be making its debut along Somerset Street this summer. Kirill Dunaev, owner of Summer Set Games, presented the Mayor and Council with his idea for a giant chess set this week, receiving unanimous...READ MORE

No More Meters For Downtown Street

OCEAN CITY - Residents of 10th Street disagreed over parking issues this week, resulting in the decision by the City Council not to meter additional parking spaces along the street as requested. Resident Charlie Barrett came before the Mayor and Council Monday, requesting meters be added to additional parking spaces on the street to encourage parking turnover. Currently, part of 10th Street contains metered spaces, but Barrett approached the council in hopes of adding 13 more meters on the...READ MORE

OC Airport Employee Charged With Theft

OCEAN CITY - An Ocean City Municipal Airport employee was charged this week with felony theft after an audit at the facility revealed she allegedly pocketed cash payments made for a hangar rental. An Ocean City auditor recently conducted a routine audit of airport accounts and discovered one hangar rental contract was overdue for payment. When the customer was contacted regarding payment, he explained he had paid an airport employee, later identified as Joy Babcock, 50, of Salisbury, in cash for...READ MORE

OC Bomb Threat At Motel A Hoax

OCEAN CITY - A Virginia man this week is being charged with threat of arson after admitting to writing a phony bomb threat note at an Ocean City motel last Friday as part of a prank on his cousin. Around 1 p.m. last Friday, Ocean City Police received a call from the Best Western motel on 55th Street about a possible bomb on the premises. A maid entered a room to clean it and discovered a hand-written note making reference to an explosive device on the premises. Ocean City police officers and...READ MORE

Resort, FOP Ink New Collective Bargaining Deal

OCEAN CITY - Ratification of a collective bargaining agreement with the local lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) was passed 6-1 this week by the City Council, marking the beginning of a second, three-year collective bargaining agreement. The passing of the resolution will put the new contract into affect July 1, 2008 and will continue through June 30, 2011. Although he did join Council member Margaret Pillas in voting against the resolution, Councilman Jay Hancock voiced concerns with...READ MORE

SD Senior Wins AXA Scholarship

BERLIN - AXA Advisors, LLC, a leading provider of financial services for consumers and businesses, has announced that Emily Meadows, a high school senior attending Stephen Decatur High School in Berlin, is the Maryland winner of the 2008 AXA Achievement Scholarship in association with (ITALICS)U.S. News & World Report. Under the AXA Achievement Scholarship program, Meadows is one of 52 students - one from each state, plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico - that have been awarded...READ MORE

Spray Irrigation Bill Fails To Meet County Approval

SNOW HILL - Worcester officials this week sent a proposed bill that would shrink the size of the buffer on county-owned spray irrigation systems back to the drawing board after concluding what is good for the goose should be good for the gander. The County Commissioners on Tuesday held a public hearing on a proposed piece of legislation that would allow the buffer on government-owned spray irrigation systems throughout Worcester County to be reduced from the existing 300 feet to 100 feet. In...READ MORE

World's Top Carvers Compete

OCEAN CITY - The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, will host the largest bird carving competition in the world this weekend. Now in its 38th year, the Ward World Championship Wildfowl Carving Competition and Art Festival Carvers takes place at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City from April 25-27. Carvers from the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom make their annual pilgrimage to Ocean City, Maryland to compete for a chance to win the...READ MORE

Live Bands and DJs

707 Sports Bar & Grille: 410-213-9507, 12702 Old Bridge Rd. West Ocean City; Friday, April 25: PMF; Every Saturday: Karaoke with Hey Mick. Assateague Island Oasis: 410-629-1492, Rt. 611; Entertainment Friday & Saturday, 6:30-9:30 p.m. Buxy's Salty Dog: 410-289-0973, 28th St. & Coastal Hwy.; Every Friday: DJ BK; Saturday, April 26: Kevin Poole. Castaway's: 410-524-9090, 64th St. Bayfront; Every Friday: DJ Mike C; Saturday, April 26: Vinyl Rhino. Clarion Hotel: 410-524-3535, 10100...READ MORE

Stephen Decatur High School's Theatre Production Class

Earlier this month Stephen Decatur High School's Theatre Production class performed "9 Seconds (and pop goes the culture)," a satire on modern technology and its effect on society, written by Gwendolyn Lehman. Above the students are pictured in the performance. The next big production will be the 13th Annual Shakespheare Under the Stars, "A Winters Tale" on May 14-16. Submitted Photos ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Student Honored

Lynde Pepper, second from right, Lewes, an eighth grade student at Worcester Prep, was honored in Annapolis for her award-winning poster on Fair Housing. Her poster will be published in the Maryland Association of Realtors 2009 calendar. With Pepper are, from left, George Zaiser, Worcester Prep Middle and Upper School art teacher; Joanne Stapleton; Lisa Jo Pepper; Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley; and Bryan Pepper. ...READ MORE

Kindergarteners at Buckingham Elementary School

Josh Layfield and Patra Turner, students from Mrs. Marowski's Kindergarten at Buckingham Elementary School, celebrated the end of the farm theme by wearing farm clothes and making ice cream. First they read the story 'Ice Cream from Cows to Kids,' and then they mixed milk, sugar, and vanilla, shook it in a bag surrounded by ice and salt to make an icy cold treat. ...READ MORE

Third Graders at Ocean City Elementary School

Morgan Soulsman, Robbie Duke, and Jack Lanier, third graders at Ocean City Elementary School, work on writing spring tanka poems, which are similar to haiku poems but tanka poems have more syllables. Tanka poems are written about nature, seasons, or strong emotions using similes, metaphors, and personification. ...READ MORE

The Temple Bat Yam Youth Group

The Youth Group at Temple Bat Yam in Berlin recently presented The Holocaust Survivor Cookbook to the Worcester Preparatory School Library. The book, dedicated to the six million Jews who did not survive the Holocaust, is more than a cookbook, for it is a treasure of memories of those who endured the Holocaust and lived to tell their stories. Some of the students involved in the project were Brandon Thaler, Ocean City; Chelsea Thaler, Ocean City; Jackson Berger, Berlin; and Zach Ettz, Ocean...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Winners In The Young Authors Competition

Worcester Prep winners in the Young Authors Competition for the Eastern Shore were, front from left, Devin Hammond, Berlin; Josh Michnick, Ocean City; Jordan Welch, Ocean Pines; Michelle Wangel, Berlin; Kendall Holmes, Bishopville; Gina LaBarck, Berlin; Skylar Wilson, Rehoboth Beach; Parker McIntosh, Berlin; middle, Casey Knerr, Berlin; Taylor Hawkins, Berlin; Claire Stickler, Lewes; Emma Richardson, Rehoboth Beach; Christopher Potvin, Snow Hill; Shannon Southcomb, Ocean City; Jamie Welch, Ocean...READ MORE

Proprietor Looking To Restore Restaurant's Image

OCEAN CITY - Longtime downtown fixture The Kitchen Restaurant will be operating under new ownership this summer, promising the same great breakfast with the addition of a new lunch and dinner menu that will offer a little something for everyone. Owner Patrick Jarrell took over the downtown restaurant earlier this month, bringing with him years of experience as the manager of the Dunes, and additional years of experience in the restaurant business in Ocean City, Philadelphia and New York. Jarrell...READ MORE

"Making the Connection"

Why do we have to feel so connected with everything? Have we really become so touchy-feely? If there was a category of words and/or phrases from the English language that makes me want to throw myself in front of oncoming traffic, I'm pretty sure that 'making a strong connection' would be up there with 'great for entertaining', which is a phrase that has come to be considered a classy way to define your backyard. Everyone is making a connection these days. From people trying to find love with...READ MORE

My Thoughts

Contrary to most folks, the old guy likes it when it rains all day. That's because Insider gets a free pass to do exactly what he wants - nothing. That's why on Monday, his deadline for this column, Insider just sat and watched the rain and listened to the radio. There was to be no writing on that day. That's why he put a little 'I'm sorry' note on the column when he dropped it off in the mailbox outside The Dispatch office on Tuesday. On Monday, in the midst of nothing, when he got tired of...READ MORE

94th Street north-Fenwick

Big Tuna Grill 128th Street & Coastal Highway, 410-250-1001 , www.bigtunaOC.com A locals' and vacationers' favorite alike. Experience culinary delights as well as a visual excursion, dining among authentic nautical artifacts of old ships. Choose an array of entrees from fresh seafood to char-grilled steaks. Enjoy some drinks on our 50 ft. bar while watching our plasma TVs. Billy's Sub Shop 120th Street, Bayside (Food Lion Shopping Center) , 410-250-1776 Between 139th & 140th Streets,...READ MORE

Inlet To 94th Street

Angelo's Italian Cuisine 33rd Street & Coastal Highway , 410-524-2855 The Russo family proudly presents, Angelo's Italian Cuisine, the latest venture in a long line of Italian restauants and pizzarias owned by the family in Baltimore, Salisbury and Ocean City. Our authentic Italian cuisine is prepared by a top New York chef and presented in a classically decorated setting. Smoking allowed in our cocktail lounge with special drink prices 4-6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Open Tuesday-Saturday at 4...READ MORE

West Ocean City-Berlin-Ocean Pines

Assateague Island Oasis Rte. 611, West Ocean City , 410-629-1492 Enjoy a delicious meal, refreshing drinks, and the peace and quiet that once was. Weekly live entertainment and Happy Hour daily from 3-7 p.m. Just relax! Boomers Restaurant 525 South Main Street, Berlin , 410-629-0001 Conveniently located on Rte. 113 at the southern entrance to Berlin, Boomers Restaurant has re-opened after a complete renovation. Full service dining, self-service eat-in or carry-out. Food cooked to order. Fried...READ MORE

A Look At Who Was Out On The Town This Week

Weekly pictures from the restaurant and bar scene around the Ocean City area.  ...READ MORE

Living Long Without Worries Is A Possibility

BERLIN - Any parent knows that self-sacrifice is a big part of the job. Whether your kids are toddlers or well into adulthood, you reflexively put their needs before yours. As you reach a certain stage in life, however, their needs and yours have a way of converging •€' in the matter of long-term care, for instance. Making certain that your future care is addressed in the present not only allows you to pass your wealth on to future generations but also gives your children the gift of your...READ MORE

The Ocean City Lions Club and Diakonia

Diakonia, Inc. Executive Director Claudia Nagle recently accepted a $4000 donation from Ron Edelmann and Jack Collins of the Ocean City Lions Club, a major supporter of Diakonia, Inc. for many years. When building transitional housing, the Ocean City Lions Club not only became an important investor in the future of Diakonia, Inc. but it made a plea to Lions Club International, which also made a generous donation. Submitted Photo ...READ MORE

Star Charities and Diakonia

Star Charities President Anna Foultz, pictured with Diakonia Executive Director Claudia Nagle and Jack Barnes of Focus On The Pines, recently dropped by the shelter to talk about plans for an event to benefit Diakonia. Foultz is organizing an Evening At The Racetrack, which includes dinner and entertainment on Thursday, July 10 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $25. Call Foultz for reservations 410-641-7667. Submitted Photo ...READ MORE

Long and Foster Real Estate Puts Local Artists On Display

Long and Foster Real Estate, located in the Odachowski Plaza on Route 50 in West Ocean City, is offering local artists the opportunity to display their work on the third Tuesday of each month. Above, Joan Ferger and Myrna Wright of Long and Foster join Anthony Grasso of Tutti Gusti who catered the first event. Photo by Jeanette Deskiewicz ...READ MORE

A Week In Business

CBRB Agents Honored BERLIN - A number of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage agents in the area were recently honored as top performers in 2007. Agents honored based on gross commission income and closed sales for the year were: Ocean Pines: Edie Brennan, Top in Office - Units; Wisch Team, Top in Office - Units; Edie Brennan, Top in Office - Gross Commission Income; Wisch Team, Top in Office - Gross Commission Income; Tim Halligan, Rookie of the Year; Edie Brennan, International President's...READ MORE

People Joining Together For Community Causes

See who was out helping causes in the Ocean City area. ...READ MORE

Things I Like

The anticipation of a flower about to bloom Walking barefoot through grass •€˜John Adams' Bonfires with friends All of the growth associated with spring The look of the grass after a fresh cut Tommy Lee Jones movies A glass of merlot after a long day The view from Bayshore Drive in OC Salmon and eggs Being on the water at dusk ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Don't waste your time and energy fretting over remarks you consider unnecessary or unkind. Best advice: Ignore them, and just keep doing your usual good job. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Getting that new perspective on a workplace situation could lead to a solution everyone will accept. Meanwhile, make time to keep up with your creative pursuits. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Those changes you planned to implement in early summer might need to be reassessed. But don't...READ MORE