Archives

OC Convention Center Director Moving On

OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City has another department head position open today, as Roland E. Powell Convention Center Director Rick Hamilton has resigned after just two years of being on the job. Hamilton is reportedly taking a job in Tampa, Fla. as a center director. After a nationwide search that yielded 72 candidates, Hamilton was hired in November of 2009 to replace Mike Noah. He came to Ocean City having spent the former 18 years at the helm of the Daytona Beach Ocean Center in Florida. His prior...READ MORE

OC Municipal Bus Lawsuit Settled

OCEAN CITY -- A $100,000 civil suit filed against the town of Ocean City alleging negligence for an incident in July 2007 when the plaintiff stepped off a municipal bus allegedly too far from the curb and fractured her ankle was officially dismissed last week although the exact terms of the settlement have not been made public. In June 2010, New Jersey resident Teresa Edwards filed suit in U.S. District Court alleging negligence on the part of the town of the Ocean City and a seasonal bus driver...READ MORE

Black Friday Security Detail Leads To Accusations

SALISBURY -- Foot-dragging and bureaucratic red tape cost Salisbury an opportunity to provide its police officers with extra seasonal work, according to Mayor Jim Ireton. Council President Terry Cohen, however, denies the allegation and rebukes Ireton for issuing what she called “an error filled” statement. Earlier this week, Wal-Mart sent a request to the Salisbury Police Department (SPD) asking to contract off-duty officers for security at its Salisbury location during Black...READ MORE

Salisbury Settles Water Lawsuit For $900K

BERLIN -- The city of Salisbury this week announced it had negotiated a settlement in its portion of a $20 million-plus civil suit against the nation’s major oil companies over a potentially harmful and perhaps deadly gasoline additive that has leached into the drinking water supply of the seven jurisdictions, including the town of Berlin and Worcester County. Salisbury officials announced on Monday they had reached a settlement in the civil suit against 43 total defendants including all...READ MORE

Jury Sides With Seacrets In Trademark Suit

OCEAN CITY -- A popular Ocean City establishment was successful this week in its trademark infringement lawsuit against a travel destination company and its subsidiaries that piggybacked on its success and name recognition with a series of similar resorts in and around the Caribbean. A U.S. District Court jury this week ruled in favor of O.C. Seacrets, the corporation that owns and operates the popular Seacrets nightclub complex along a three-block section of the bayfront in Ocean City, in its...READ MORE

Evolution Brewing Announces Timeline For Salisbury Operations

SALISBURY -- After several months of uncertainty, Evolution Craft Brewing Company announced yesterday it plans to open operations in Salisbury early next year. Renovations are currently underway at the E. Vine Street property formerly known as the Reddy Ice Factory. The project will allow for enlarged brewery operations for the growing regional company, provide corporate offices for Southern Boys Concepts and a new restaurant called Public House. In a release yesterday, the company confirmed the...READ MORE

Website Offers Public Access To Health Resources

SNOW HILL -- Launched earlier this month, a new web resource spearheaded by the Worcester County Health Department (WCHD) aims to offer huge amounts of health data in a convenient format. “The new Network of Care site gives the public easy access to health data, resources and tools,” said Health Officer Debbie Goeller. “Stakeholders and members of our community can use the site to view promising practices from around the nation, read health news and articles, or look up...READ MORE

Boating Fatality On Assateague

ASSATEAGUE -- Tragedy struck this week when a boat capsized in the surf just off the coast of Assateague on Wednesday, claiming the life of one as-yet-unidentified man and sending a second to an area hospital. Shortly after noon on Wednesday, Coast Guard Station Ocean City received a call to respond to a reported capsizing of a small commercial boat in the surf just off the coast of Assateague with victims in the water. The Coast Guard launched a rescue boat and responded to the scene and...READ MORE

Casino Revenue Mirrors Seasonal Downturn

BERLIN -- Likely a reflection of the considerable drop off in the number of visitors to the resort area, the Casino at Ocean Downs’ revenue numbers for October showed revenues had dropped back to a level not seen since June. The Maryland State Lottery Agency, which oversees the two existing slots facilities in the state, released the final numbers for October this week, and it appears the revenue figures returned to what will likely be the norm during the offseason in the resort area....READ MORE

Comptroller Orders County To Ship $175K Worth Of Liquor Back To Alabama

SNOW HILL — For the second time in two years, the Maryland Comptroller’s Office has launched an investigation into the alleged unlawful business practices of Worcester County’s liquor dispensary. Spokeswoman Christine Feldmann confirmed reports that last Friday the Comptroller’s field enforcement officers descended upon the Snow Hill headquarters of the new county Department of Liquor Control (DLC), seizing documents and a small portion of the $175,000 liquor shipment the...READ MORE

Council Closing In On Finalizing Dare Particulars

OCEAN CITY – Without announcing what the specific holdup concerning former Dennis Dare’s retirement actually is, City Council members publically debated how it should be resolved. The discussion was brought up after Councilman Doug Cymek received a couple requests from members of the newly formed Citizens For Ocean City inquiring the status of former City Manager Dennis Dare’s retirement agreement. “It was troubling for me to tell them that we have not signed that...READ MORE

Council Still Ironing Out Employee Changes

OCEAN CITY – One of the seven ordinances Mayor Rick Meehan vetoed concerning the benefits of new hires for the Town of Ocean City returned this week to be “cleaned up”, as Council President Jim Hall phrased it. The ordinance that was passed through second reading in January by a 4-3 vote -- Joe Hall, Brent Ashley, Jim Hall, and Margaret Pillas in favor -- called for the elimination of the fifth vacation week, the dependent life benefit to be eliminated, the ICMA 457 deferral...READ MORE

County Tourism Scores State Grant

SNOW HILL -- Though state funding is drying up in many areas, the Worcester County Tourism Department  will be receiving an additional $50,000 from Annapolis next year in advertising and marketing grant money. “This is great news because it means our advertising is working,” Tourism Director Lisa Challenger said. “We have ramped up our advertising with the additional county funds, which also helps us become eligible for additional state funds. On those two fronts together...READ MORE

OC Property Values Still Higher Than 2007

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City holds a strong financial position, according to this year’s financial report, and City Council members are looking to maintain that status as future capital improvement projects are addressed. Finance Administrator Martha Bennett Lucey presented Ocean City’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. Lucey started with the change in assessments from 1981 through 2011. Assessments have declined in the last two years....READ MORE

Salisbury Council Mulls Cable Contract Consultant

SALISBURY -- With a Comcast franchise fee negotiation on the horizon, the Salisbury City Council is undecided on whether to invest in a consultant or handle the process in-house. Council Vice President Deborah Campbell felt that, between the council and city staff, the negotiations should be workable without needing to hire a consultant. “I think we are bright people,” said Campbell. Campbell stated that “the temptation to just throw money at consultants” is not always...READ MORE

Zoo’s Beloved Bear Euthanized

SALISBURY -- The Salisbury Zoo this week had to say goodbye to its oldest resident, an Andean bear named Poopsie who had lived at the facility for nearly four decades and lived to the oldest age ever recorded for her species. For the last few years, visitors to the Salisbury Zoo watched Poopsie as she enjoyed her golden years lounging in her hammock and taking life easy. Poopsie was born in 1973 and would have celebrated her 38th birthday in December. The average lifespan of an Andean bear in...READ MORE

Cymek Files Early For Re-Election

OCEAN CITY – Councilman Doug Cymek took care of some business this week, filing for re-election almost a year in advance. Cymek is the first of the four current council members up for election to make official his intention to seek another four-year term. The terms of Council President Jim Hall and Council members Joe Hall and Mary Knight expire next year as well. Mayor Rick Meehan’s term is also up next year. “I just think it is good to let the voters know that I am running...READ MORE

OCPD Nabs Wanted Offenders

OCEAN CITY -- A pair of convicted sex offenders wanted by local law enforcement for failing to register in the state’s sex offender registry were nabbed in Ocean City this week by the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) and remain behind bars without bond. Last week, the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office announced it was seeking Andrew David Harris, 45, of Ocean City, for failing to re-register as a sex offender within three days of moving to a new location. Harris, a Tier 2 sex...READ MORE

Wicomico Reorganization Underway

SALISBURY -- Wicomico County Executive Richard M. Pollitt, Jr., last week announced his proposed reorganization of the county’s Public Works and Planning and Zoning Departments is underway. Under this reorganization, certain functions formerly under Public Works will now come under Planning, Zoning and Community Development. These functions include Building Permits and Inspections, Fire Safety, street addressing, and related aspects of development review. Public Works will continue to be...READ MORE

Local Eyes Hawaii For World Championships

OCEAN CITY -- A local runner and trainer has earned an invitation to compete in a prestigious world championship race in Hawaii next month, but will likely need to rely on the generosity of the ever-giving Ocean City community to get there. Corrine Banks, a single mom who works as a personal trainer, fitness instructor and nutritional consultant among other things at WOC Fitness in West Ocean City, has certainly left her mark on the regional running circuit with wins and top finishes in nearly...READ MORE

Diakonia Feeling Pinch Of Increased Demands

WEST OCEAN CITY -- While the economy continues to struggle, Diakonia is seeing funding cut from the top down and is relying more and more on the community. “The tougher it gets out there,” said Housing Services Coordinator Jon Metro, “the tougher it gets in here.” Founded in 1972 as part of the Mennonite Church, Diakonia offers temporary housing, life-skill management education and a food pantry for locals in need. Becoming its own independent organization in 1984, the...READ MORE

Movie Theater, Bowling Alley Plans Meet Early Approval

SNOW HILL -- The Worcester County Planning Commission approved last Thursday initial concepts for a five-screen movie theater and a 10-lane bowling alley adjacent to the Casino at Ocean Downs. “We wanted to have a complementary use,” explained John Salm, President of J.W. Salm Engineering. Salm’s firm was contracted by Ocean Downs owner William Rickman to design the 37,773-square-foot theater and the 10,096-square-foot bowling alley. Once finished, the goal is to make the...READ MORE

Pocomoke Mourns Councilman

POCOMOKE -- The town of Pocomoke and the south end of Worcester County this week is mourning the tragic death of a longtime Pocomoke City councilman in a two-car crash on Tuesday afternoon. Robert Hawkins, 92, a Pocomoke City councilman for over two decades, was killed in a two-car accident on Winter Quarters Rd. near Route 13 on Tuesday afternoon when his convertible MG was struck by an SUV. Hawkins was taken to PRMC where he was later pronounced deceased. Hawkins was first elected to the...READ MORE

Berlin Attorney Disbarred

BERLIN -- A longtime Berlin attorney and former Worcester County Commissioner was disbarred from practicing law late last month after it came to light he was involved in “the unauthorized use of trust funds.” On Oct. 28, a Maryland Court of Appeals judge formally disbarred Berlin attorney Paul C. Ewell, by consent, from the practice of law in the state of Maryland. The Court of Appeals judge was acting on a Joint Petition of the Attorney Grievance Commission, which found Ewell had...READ MORE

American Legion Open House Saturday

BERLIN -- With Berlin officially recognizing the efforts of two local American Legion Posts, Boggs-Disharoon Post 123 and Duncan-Showell Post 231, the agencies are gearing up for a big open house event this Saturday, from 3-6 p.m. Organizers hope the event will rekindle a faded spark of interest in the legion, especially in younger veterans. Currently, Post 123 has about 270 members, most of which are inactive, according to Commander Vince Holloway. However, Holloway explained few members are...READ MORE

Council Unanimously Supports Performing Arts Auditorium

OCEAN CITY – Hours after a group of citizens toured the Roland E. Powell Convention Center to view current construction and future designs, the Mayor and Council approved a performing arts auditorium for the next phase of expansion. In August of 2010, the Mayor and City Council approved phase one of the convention center remodeling. Currently, the convention center is under construction expanding the ballroom and Exhibit Hall D. The 32,000-square-foot expansion is estimated to be completed...READ MORE

Hershey Earns Leadership Award

SALISBURY -- When it comes to business, W. Thomas Hershey is a leader. When it comes to philanthropy, he has been called “simply among the finest of men.” Now, he has a new title to add to his long list: Perdue Leadership Award recipient. Founded by Salisbury University’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business in 2009, the award pays tribute to area business leaders for their contributions to the university and greater community. Hershey began his professional career working at...READ MORE

New Partnership Grows OC Radio Station’s Appeal

OCEAN CITY – Hot Talk Radio expanded recently to fill in the gap of what national radio corporations have left behind. WQMR President Jack Gillen has been involved with radio in many different capacities since 1963. He began WQMR 101.1 in Ocean City in 2004. In September, WQMR partnered with WAMS Network, expanding its frequency across the Salisbury, Ocean City, Dover and Milford markets. “Basically what we have done is we had one frequency 101.1 and we have merged with another small...READ MORE

Wicomico Protects 472 Acres

SALISBURY -- The Wicomico County Council last week passed a resolution authorizing the county to acquire an easement on 472 acres within the Quantico Creek Rural Legacy Area which covers a portion of a tract known as the Tracey Properties. The county will be able to place the remaining 238 acres of the Tracey property under protective easement with funds from the Maryland Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The 472 acre parcel easement will be acquired with $1.08 Million of Rural...READ MORE

After 30 Years, WPS Coach Retires

BERLIN -- After 30 years, 323 wins and numerous conference championships, Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity soccer coach this week announced he was leaving the sidelines to focus on his classroom teaching. 
Tom Westcott reached several milestones on the soccer field at Worcester Prep, including his 300th win recorded last October. Last week, the Mallards won their third straight Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) championship, beating Salisbury Christian, 1-0,...READ MORE

Annual Berlin Award Goes To Joel Todd

BERLIN -- Former Worcester County State’s Attorney Joel Todd, now a prosecutor in neighboring Wicomico, was announced this week the winner of the 46th Annual Berlin Award. “This probably means more to me than any other award I’ve accomplished in life,” said Todd after learning of his victory Tuesday. Todd was chosen as the honoree for his involvement in community organizations like the Berlin Chamber of Commerce, Diakonia and the Worcester County Child Advocacy Center...READ MORE