Archives

Blaze Wipes Out Route 50 Offices

BERLIN - Within days of a destructive fire, two businesses displaced by the Saturday afternoon blaze were in operation elsewhere and plans to rebuild were underway. Five West Ocean City businesses sustained damages in various severities by the fire that occurred at 4:13 p.m. at the Purnell Center located on Route 50. Two offices, home to Merrill Lynch and Jennifer A. Lynch, PC, were completely destroyed by the fire, while the others received damage from heat, smoke and water. According to...READ MORE

Joe Hall Explains Reasoning Behind Salary Cut Pitch

OCEAN CITY •€' After being called out for not doing his proverbial homework last week when he sought to reduce staff pay, Councilman Joe Hall blamed his emotions for getting the best of him, but he made sure not to take the controversial motion back.  What may have been mistaken for an apology to some was actually Hall's claim that he had done the calculations concerning the savings that would be accrued by the town before making the most controversial pitch of this year's budget...READ MORE

OC Density Change Blasted

OCEAN CITY •€' The Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a proposal that would have reduced the allowable density of commercially zoned properties in Ocean City after a barrage of negative public comment seemingly gave them no other choice. Several weeks ago, the Mayor and City Council sent a proposal or amendment to the town's comprehensive plan back to the Planning and Zoning Commission due to the fact that two prior public hearings (in 2008 and 2009) concerning the matter had...READ MORE

Sunfish Encounter In Resort Has Happy Ending

OCEAN CITY •€' For the second time in as many weeks, a rare sea creature found itself far from home in the coastal bays west of Ocean City, but the odd encounter had a happy ending this time around. Local resident Butch Kitts said that last Friday morning he walked outside his residence just off Robin Drive to find what he later learned was a 300-pound sunfish wedged underneath his dock. 'I wasn't sure what it was at first because it must have been six feet wide and it didn't have a tail,...READ MORE

County Decides Against Barking Dog Law

SNOW HILL - Neighbors suffering from chronically barking dogs still have no legal recourse after the County Commissioners rejected new regulations that would fine owners of noisy canines. The public hearing attracted several speakers who have been impacted by barking dogs, but have no remedy under the law except a civil suit. Bishopville resident Jack Davis testified in favor of the proposed law, which would make the owners of excessively barking dogs subject to a fine up to $500. Since Davis...READ MORE

County Needs $57K To Keep Welcome Center Open

SNOW HILL - The fate of the Pocomoke Welcome Center hangs on whether $57,000 can be found in next year's budget, which was all but finalized last week. The state of Maryland plans to close the heavily visited Welcome Center, at the Maryland-Virginia state line, this summer if the county does not take over operations. If the county can identify a source in the budget for the thousands of dollars needed to keep the Pocomoke Welcome Center open, the state will pitch in with a $50,000 grant. The...READ MORE

Cowger, Commissioners Differ On Budget

SNOW HILL - A handful of potential changes to the fiscal year 2011 Worcester County budget, thought to be mostly finalized last week, prompted county elected officials to schedule one final meeting on the budget before it must be passed. The County Commissioners agreed to hold a work session on Tuesday, May 25, at 9 a.m. to resolve some lingering questions. The commissioners discussed canceling the work sessions tentatively scheduled for the last week of May with budget decisions made earlier in...READ MORE

License Late Fees Put County, Businesses At Odds

OCEAN CITY •€' Local business owner Cindy DiNicolas says she was 'held hostage' at the Worcester County Health Department until she paid a $500 late fee for her annual business license. The Health Department simply said that she needed to pay more attention to the due date next time. On March 26, just days before DiNicolas and her husband Anthony were set to re-open their uptown café, Brianna's Bananas on 118th Street for the season, she says she went to Snow Hill prepared to write the...READ MORE

Nine Years Later, Resident Still Fighting Rare Disease

OCEAN CITY - Nine years ago next week, a popular Ocean City resident and restaurant worker was stricken with a rare disease that left her in a coma for weeks, clinging to life and wheelchair-bound still, but for nearly the last decade, she has figuratively gotten back on her feet and is closing in on a college degree that will allow her to help others with her plight. On Memorial Day weekend nine years ago, resort resident Stacy Harim enjoyed the beach just like hundreds of thousands of...READ MORE

Ocean City News in Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, the City Council decided to wait until chiming in on a national offshore oil drilling debate, the total for town seized taxi medallions now stands at three and the newly amended undomesticated animals ordinance continues to spark conversation. Council Stays Mum On Offshore Drilling Debate Ocean City is staying out of the debate concerning offshore oil drilling, at least for now. Councilwoman Margaret Pillas pitched an idea, after hearing all the debate...READ MORE