Archives

Council Field Up To Seven With Filing Deadline Sept. 21

OCEAN CITY •€' With a few weeks to go before the Sept. 21 filing deadline for the Ocean City Mayor and Council election, some new names have entered the race and set their sights on the three incumbents, one only of which has officially filed for re-election. Since the 2008 election, which saw Council members Mary Knight and Jim Hall re-elected, Councilman Joe Hall elected back onto the council after a two year absence and Doug Cymek win a seat on his third try, the town has been in the...READ MORE

LCB Financial Report Released

OCEAN CITY •€' The Worcester County Liquor Control Board (LCB) finally released its long awaited financial report yesterday, as elected officials, local licensees and even state wholesalers scrambled to make sense of the 28-page report. Some of the contents of the report seem to indicate that the LCB's drastic drop in revenue given back to the county this year (just a little more than $111,000 vs. $410,615 in 2009) is consistent with claims that it slashed its markup prices for licensees...READ MORE

LCB's Future Up To Politicians

OCEAN CITY •€' All parties with a stake or even an interest in the Worcester County Liquor Control Board scandal knows that the final decision on the quasi-governmental monopoly's future will come at the hands of elected officials. This week, some of those politicians spoke about the ongoing investigation and were anxious to see the long awaited financial reports from the LCB, but they were still mostly mum about their official stance on the issue. Delegate Jim Mathias, on the campaign...READ MORE

Md. Comptroller Pledges Detailed Report On LCB

OCEAN CITY •€' Maryland State Comptroller Peter Franchot has assured the people of Worcester County that he is going to get to the bottom of Liquor Control Board controversy that's been raging all summer long. Franchot called his office's investigation of the Worcester County Liquor Control Board (LCB) 'one of the most intensive and thorough probes that this office has ever done', and said his office would not be lenient on the quasi-governmental monopoly if the investigation found any sort...READ MORE

State's Attorney Candidate, Printer Spar Over '06 Debt

BERLIN - A small claims court lawsuit charging that Worcester County State's Attorney candidate Beau Oglesby has not paid $5,700 in bills from his last campaign could pose big trouble for the candidate this election season as he challenges incumbent State's Attorney Joel Todd. Thom Gulyas, who owns Ace Printing and Mailing in Berlin, filed a lawsuit in small claims court last week over the $5,700 Oglesby owes his business from the 2006 state's attorney campaign. Oglesby's claims printing and...READ MORE

Back-To-School Traffic Safety Urged

OCEAN CITY - With schools in the area re-opening next week, area law enforcement agencies and transportation officials are reminding motorists to take extra care during morning and afternoon commute times. According to an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) release this week, August is Back-to-School Safety Month, and with area students returning to school on Monday, the department is reminding motorists to be cautious and follow all traffic rules concerning school buses and pedestrians in Ocean...READ MORE

Berlin Council Moves Ahead With $828K Property Purchase

BERLIN - After favorable support overwhelmed the opposition to a proposed land buy for a future community center and new police station, the Berlin Mayor and Council voted to go ahead with the land purchase. Just three town council members voted on the purchase ordinance after Council members Troy Purnell and Paula Lynch recused themselves because of business connections to the sellers.             The town council recently proposed to buy...READ MORE

Candidates Debate Issues At Commissioner Forum

SNOW HILL - Nine candidates for Worcester County Commissioner answered questions Tuesday night at a candidate forum sponsored by the Assateague Coastal Trust at Snow Hill High School. A second forum will be held on Sept. 7 at Berlin Intermediate School, at 5:30. Four of five candidates from District 1 attended the forum: Democrat Jimmy Schoolfield, and Republicans Jerre Clauss, Bill McDermott, and Larry Ward. Challenger Ed Lee, a Democrat from District 2, also attended. Commissioner...READ MORE

Man's Plea Violations Could Lead To New Trial

SNOW HILL - After allegedly failing to satisfy certain terms of his plea agreement, an Ocean City man who pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment for his role in the beating death of a Berlin man in 2008 had the case against him reactivated earlier this month. In May 2008, a Worcester County grand jury indicted Fernando Musiani, then 19, of Ocean City, on first-degree murder and other charges for his alleged role in the beating death of Michael Mitchell during a fight at late night party in...READ MORE

Missing Area Swimmer Located

CITY - An extensive multi-agency, multi-state search for a man reported missing in the surf near the Ocean City-Fenwick Island line early last Friday morning was eventually suspended when the alleged victim reported in safe and sound from a resort hotel. to police reports, the unidentified man had earlier in the evening celebrated his birthday at Harpoon Hanna's restaurant and was last seen allegedly intoxicated and naked in the surf near the Maryland-Delaware line before he disappeared. When...READ MORE

New West OC Fire Station Taking Shape

WEST OCEAN CITY - After weeks of non-descript preparation and site work, the new Ocean City Fire Department Station 5 building on Keyser Point Rd. in West Ocean City has started springing from the ground in the last week or so and is on target for a April occupancy. For the last 10 years, the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) has been scrimping and saving for a new facility to replace the decades-old building in West Ocean City and the dream is closer now then ever to becoming a reality. After...READ MORE

OC Police Cruiser Collides With Biker

OCEAN CITY - A 20-year-old female on a bicycle in the area of 45th Street and Coastal Highway was struck by an on-duty Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) cruiser on Wednesday morning and was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries sustained in the collision. Around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, the biker attempted to cross Coastal Highway at 45th Street from east to west against a traffic signal when she was struck by an OCPD police cruiser. According to police reports, the girl had crossed...READ MORE

Pines Store Robbed At Gunpoint

OCEAN PINES - Area law enforcement agencies this week are asking for help in identifying two masked gunmen who held up a pair of convenience stores early Wednesday morning. Shortly after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, two masked men, one of whom was brandishing an unknown type of semi-automatic handgun, entered the Shore Stop on Route 589 near Ocean Pines and demanded money from the clerk. The suspects fled the store with an undisclosed amount of cash. The first suspect is described as a black male in his...READ MORE

Questions Remain Over Berlin Discharge Permit

BERLIN - A public hearing on a clean water discharge permit for the old Tyson chicken plant in Berlin last week failed to clear up questions over why the owner was seeking a permit despite the lack of discharge. 'We have an unusual situation here,' said Ed Gertler, industrial discharge permit manager for Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE).   MDE is considering an unusual form of permit only allowing ambient water, from precipitation or groundwater that filters into pipes and...READ MORE