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Council Approves Compensation Package Changes

OCEAN CITY •€' The City Council voted unanimously to trim the benefits package offered to new employees, thus saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process to the town's annual bottom line. As a result of the second part of Human Resources Director Wayne Evans' salary and benefits study, the council moved to trim a day off paid holidays, raise the employee contribution for medical coverage by 5 percent and cut the fifth week of paid vacation for 20-year-plus employees, in addition...READ MORE

Delegate Requests State Conduct Formal LCB Audit

OCEAN CITY - In the wake of allegations of the Liquor Control Board for Worcester County's (LCB) fiscal malfeasance at worst or poor management at best, the association of liquor license holders in the county this week held a meeting to begin to determine their own course of action should the agency be abolished. The Worcester County Licensed Beverage Association (WCLBA), an organization of restaurant and bar owners in the county, appeared to try to distance itself from the beleaguered state...READ MORE

DNR Asked To Limit PWC Watershed Access

WEST OCEAN CITY - A growing number of rented personal watercrafts (PWCs) finding their way into the shallow creeks and streams in and around the coastal bays has led to a discussion about limiting their access in resort area waterways. The issue came to light in recent weeks when a West Ocean City property owner raised concerns about the proliferation of PWCs in an area of Herring Creek fronting his property. Sussex Rd. resident John Townsend late last month brought the issue of rented...READ MORE

More LCB Questions Surface As 2009 Absolut Move Questioned

OCEAN CITY •€' The comptroller's investigation into the Liquor Control Board for Worcester County's (LCB) Stoli promotion has sparked a renewed interest in another controversial liquor promotion that saw the LCB on the other side of the allegations last year. For several weeks in July of 2009, no licensee in Worcester County was able to purchase Absolut vodka after LCB Executive Director Brian Sturgeon 'de-listed' the brand after a sales campaign was conducted by wholesaler Republic...READ MORE

OC Plans Capital Projects With Fed Program Help

OCEAN CITY •€' Finance Administrator Martha Bennett Lucey is being credited with finding a way for the town to save a substantial amount of money as it moves forward with plans to improve its infrastructure and readies some big projects to the tune of $18 million. With capital projects, such as street repairs, being essentially tabled until further notice by the Mayor and Council due to budgetary concerns, Lucey's proposal for the town is to use Build America Bonds (BAB) from the federal...READ MORE

83% Of County Seniors College Bound

NEWARK - This year's graduating seniors at Worcester County high schools were mostly satisfied with their education, the annual senior survey shows. The Worcester County school board's annual survey of graduating seniors showed that 84 percent of the nearly 400 graduates were 'satisfied or very satisfied' with the education they got in Worcester County schools. Thirteen percent of the senior students surveyed this spring responded with 'neither satisfied nor dissatisfied' with their education,...READ MORE

Cocaine Dealer Gets 15 Years

SNOW HILL - The latest significant salvo in area law enforcement's renewed battle to rid Berlin's neighborhoods of open-air drug dealing scored a direct hit last week when a local man was sentenced to 15 years on a pair of cocaine distribution convictions, just weeks after a dozen new suspects were indicted by a Worcester County grand jury. With a stern warning to known repeat offenders, Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd and several local law enforcement agencies in the spring of 2009...READ MORE

County Eyes Grant To Fund Soft Shoreline Projects

SNOW HILL - Five soft shoreline projects in northern Worcester County would be part of implementing the coastal bays management plan, according to county staff, and would protect land from wave erosion. The county hopes to get a $5,000 mini-grant from the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to pay for part of the work. An in-kind match of county workers and supplies is worth $11,195, with a $585 cash match. Three of the small shoreline projects should reduce erosion in road rights of way in the Cape...READ MORE

Election Fields Unchanged As Deadline Looms

BERLIN - Time is slipping away for local political parties to find candidates to run in races where they do not already have a candidate. The District 2 County Commissioner race lacks a Republican candidate, while Districts 3 and 6 lack Democratic candidates. By law, the political party central committees are allowed to nominate a contender from their party if the party is not otherwise represented in a race when the candidacy filing deadline comes down. Worcester County's Republican Central...READ MORE

Former Olympic Hero Leads Clinic For Area Gymnasts

Kylie Joson Staff Writer BERLIN - It's not everyday the Eastern Shore gets a visit from an Olympic gold medallist and national sports hero. On Monday July 12, Kerri Strug paid a visit to the Twister Gymnastics in Berlin to conduct a clinic. At the clinic, she played a video and gave a short speech, which was followed with questions and answers. After that, she led the gymnasts in a warm up with conditioning and stretching. At the end of the clinic, she had an autograph and photo session with the...READ MORE

Funding Restraints Limit HVAC Work At Schools

NEWARK - With the money available in the school system budget, only two or three of the 21 rooftop HVAC units in critical need of replacement at three middle schools will be swapped out for new models this year. Berlin Intermediate School, Snow Hill Middle School and Pocomoke Middle School are all 40 years old. Each of the three school buildings has some HVAC units up to 30 years old, school board staff reported to the Worcester County Board of Education Tuesday afternoon. A total of 76 HVAC...READ MORE

Grant Money To Ease Access At Two Public Schools

NEWARK - Federal grant money will make school access at two county schools safer, more pedestrian friendly and more accessible for students, staff and the public. The public schools of Worcester County are partnering with the Worcester County Health Department and the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) this year in improving pedestrian access to two county schools through a federal grant program. 'This is sort of unusual,' said Marty Pusey, director of prevention for the Worcester...READ MORE

Hundreds Pull Up Some Beach To Watch Movie

Kylie Joson Staff Writer OCEAN CITY - This year marks the third year of Movies on the Beach. With the growing popularity of the free event, two new locations were added - the Princess Royale Hotel on 91st Street and the Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums on 118th Street. The movies are still being played at the original location at 27th street, which is sponsored by the Commander Hotel. This family-friendly event will be offered the rest of July and all of August. Wednesday, July...READ MORE

Limiting Storage Devices In Berlin Proposed

BERLIN - Portable storage containers, like PODS, might soon be restricted to five days located at a Berlin house, according to a draft ordinance discussed by the Berlin Planning Commission this week. According to Planning and Zoning Director Chuck Ward, Berlin Mayor Gee Williams asked him to look into an ordinance to control the length of time a relocatable storage container can remain on site after getting some complaints from townsfolk. The town wants to prevent residents from keeping the...READ MORE

Local Specialties The Focus At Fenwick Island Mainstay

T.K. Dickerson Staff Writer FENWICK ISLAND - Despite numerous regional and even national awards for high quality food, Fenwick Crabhouse puts high value on local product. Owner Scott Fornwalt describes the cozy crab house as 'a fun, fast, casual seafood restaurant' with a 'concentration on local specialties'. He even features local breweries at the brand new bar. Fornwalt's description of his restaurant is modest compared to the accumulation of awards that hang on the walls amongst the vintage...READ MORE

Property Owner Seeks Town Help With Flooding Woes

BERLIN - A homeowner with years of flooding problems on his property learned Monday night he might have to wait for help from the town of Berlin, which just took over official responsibility for stormwater management from the county and state. Resident Mark Rush went before the Berlin Mayor and Council Monday night during the public comments period to describe his problem and ask for assistance. His property on Esham Dr., which is lower than neighboring properties, floods in every rainstorm. It...READ MORE

Renewable Energy Ordinance Sought For Berlin Code

BERLIN - Work has begun on a renewable energy ordinance for the town of Berlin, with draft regulations under discussion this week at the Berlin Planning Commission meeting. 'We really don't have anything in the code at all,' said Planning and Zoning Director Chuck Ward Wednesday night at the meeting. Ward said he looked at over a dozen renewable energy ordinances, both locally and as far away as Michigan before drafting an ordinance for Berlin. One concern raised over roof-mounted wind turbines...READ MORE

Supreme Court Upholds Beach Decision

OCEAN CITY - The U.S. Supreme Court late last month handed down a landmark decision in a case involving beach replenishment efforts in Florida that could have had implications in Maryland. While Ocean City recently received good news about an influx of federal funding for the replenishment of its beaches and dune system in the wake of a devastating coastal storm last fall, a decision handed down in late June by the U.S. Supreme Court on a similar project in Florida might have provided a...READ MORE

Wounded Warrior Gets Special OC Treatment

OCEAN CITY - A U.S. serviceman wounded in Iraq last month got a hero's welcome in Ocean City last weekend, thanks in large part to the local American Legion post and an always generous resort community. First Lieutenant Dan Shoemaker got some well-deserved treatment last weekend in Ocean City after a request from the Wounded Warrior Project on his behalf. Shoemaker was wounded in a suicide bomber attack in Iraq on June 11 and was ultimately sent to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. for...READ MORE