Archives

NEW FOR THURSDAY: Assateague Welcomes New Filly

ASSATEAGUE -- Spring seems to be showing signs of new life everywhere, including on Assateague Island. A new wild horse foal was born into the herd at Assateague Island on Friday March 9. A young filly, with pinto coloration showing mostly white hair with brown patches was born to 8-year-old mare April Star (also known by the alpha numeric name N2BHS-C). The gangly long-legged newborn has been seen by many park visitors enjoying Assateague Island within the past week. She is one of the 114...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Bill Rolig Fondly Remembered

SNOW HILL -- On Tuesday, just two days after his 55th birthday, Bill Rolig, a Snow Hill resident with a passion for art, music and family, succumbed to his two-year battle with prostate cancer. Back in 2010, the lower shore community rallied to support Rolig, who was shockingly diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer. Two separate benefits at The Globe in Berlin and at Seacrets in Ocean City hosted pack houses as residents turned out to raise thousands of dollars for Rolig’s...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Sidewalk Markings Aim To Better Pedestrian Safety

OCEAN CITY – Prior to the peak tourist season in Ocean City, the State Highway Administration (SHA) has started a three-year pilot program using newly designed sidewalk markings to safely guide pedestrians along MD 528 (Coastal Highway). The new yellow and black pedestrian sidewalk markings will be located 10 feet prior to the intersections at 19th, 33rd and 49th streets in order to direct pedestrians to safe crosswalks. The pilot program specifically addresses the dangerous behavior of...READ MORE

NEW FOR WEDNESDAY: Charitable Souls Campaign Honorees Announced

BERLIN -- The honorees for the 2012 Charitable Souls campaign were announced this morning. They include Cathy Bassett, Gloria Carr, Ed Colbert, Alexis Dashield, Linda Dearing, Arnold Downing, Mary Ferry, Jim Flaig, Frank Gatley, Veronica Gatley, Bill Gibbs, Sierra Hall, Michael James, Jean Keagle, Bob Kelly, Becky Kelly, Audrey Killen, Kimberly Majus, Buck Mann, Daryl McCready & SonRise Church, Linda Pepper, Ginny Reister, Susan Runk, Michelle Schachter, Judy Johnson Schoellkopf, Christine...READ MORE

NEW FOR TUESDAY: OC’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade Returns Saturday

OCEAN CITY – This weekend will be the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Ocean City’s history, and event organizers reflected this week on how the day has grown over the years. The 31st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Festival, sponsored by the Delmarva Irish-American Club (DIAC), returns to the streets of Ocean City on Saturday, March 17. “It starts at high noon and we’re never late,” said parade organizer Buck Mann. Mann said that the parade first...READ MORE

NEW FOR MONDAY: Air Show Acts To Fly Further North This Year

OCEAN CITY -- Resort business leaders this morning got an update on the 2012 Ocean City Air Show, including a plan to extend many of the show’s flyovers to the north end of town. Ocean City Air Show Director of Sponsorship and Hospitality Sales Steven Webster on Monday morning presented an update to the Ocean City Economic Development Committee (EDC) on the 2012 event, set for June 9-10 in Ocean City. Webster confirmed the signature act for 2012 will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and...READ MORE

NEW FOR FRIDAY: 9 Charges Filed Against Kaczynski For Baby Ava Accident

(The following is a press release issued this afternoon by the Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County.)SNOW HILL -- The Office of the State’s Attorney for Worcester County filed a criminal information in the Circuit Court for Worcester County charging Andre James Kaczynski, 47, of Ocean Pines, Maryland, with the following charges.Life-threatening Injury by Motor Vehicle While Impaired by a Controlled Dangerous Substance (Ava DelRicco); Life-threatening Injury by...READ MORE

NEW FOR FRIDAY: Community Fast Underway, Culminates With Joint Worship Service

BERLIN — Daryl McCready admits he was intrigued and personally challenged when his fellow pastor friend and accountability partner talked about fasting. Bryan Pugner, pastor of The Worship Center, an Assemblies Of God Church, in Berlin, had spoken several times about how he had fasted for 21 days during the first 21 days of the year. Pugner even considered writing a booklet about it. McCready, founder and pastor of SonRise Church, also in Berlin, felt God "placed it on his heart to...READ MORE

Commission President Wants End To Organized Budget Campaign

SNOW HILL -- After hearing the Worcester County Board of Education’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2013 Tuesday, Commission President Bud Church requested that parents, teachers and students stop flooding the commissioners with petitions. “Stop all of the letters, stop all of the emails,” Church asked. “We know what the problems are.” Church went on to tell the audience, the majority of whom were school faculty or parents, that bombarding the commission with...READ MORE

Berlin To Soon Hear Suggestions For Flooding Woes

BERLIN -- Months after beginning a stormwater feasibility study in Berlin, representatives of the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center (UMEFC) announced that the process is nearing completion. “We are just about in the last quarter of this project,” promised (UMEFC) Program Manager Megan Hughes during a Historic District Commission (HDC) meeting Wednesday. Hughes did not sugarcoat the realities of what the town is currently facing in regards to persistent flooding...READ MORE

Proposed Scooter Changes Outlined

OCEAN CITY – The Planning and Zoning Commission is close to approving a final proposal regulating scooter rental operations in town. On Tuesday night, the commission continued a public hearing to consider including “scooters, scoot-coupes and other names commonly associated with such vehicles that do not require a state vehicle registration license” as a special exemption or conditional use with appropriate safeguards and regulations in various zoning districts. The item had...READ MORE

Plan To Expand Sales Tax Worries Trade Groups

BERLIN -- Proposed legislation expanding the state’s sales tax to more than two dozen new services has garnered the attention of the resort and state business community. House Bill 1051 calls for applying the state’s sales tax to services such as tax prep, property management, vehicles, commercial cleaning, cell phones, cable television, security systems, a parking facility, barber or beauty expense, sign painting, interior decorating and extermination, among others. The bill had a...READ MORE

$37.6M Bond Ceiling Approved

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council voted to approve an ordinance on final reading to authorize the issue and sale of General Obligation Municipal Purpose and Refunding Bonds not to exceed $37.6 million. Finance Administrator Martha Bennett explained that during work session discussions the refunding of 2005 bonds was discussed and the town’s project list was reviewed. The refunding amount of the bond issue is $14,630,000. “The original estimate that I gave you was just for...READ MORE

Salisbury Department Split Proposal Dies

SALISBURY -- Internal Services will remain a single department, despite Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton’s attempt to have it split into two separate divisions. He told the City Council Monday that a charter amendment placing Internal Services into its original components, Financing and Purchasing, would allow for greater internal control as well as making it much easier to find suitable department heads. “We can’t find anybody that has all three of those things,” said Ireton,...READ MORE

Route 50 Shopping Center Plans Advance

SNOW HILL -- The shopping center around Wal-Mart and Home Depot in West Ocean City is about to grow after the Worcester County Planning Commission approved a 15,755-square-foot commercial building to be included in the area. The commission granted conditional site plan approval last week for the “Ocean Landings I Building” to be located on the south side of Route 50, just north of Wal-Mart. According to attorney Mark Cropper, who represented developer Ocean City Partners and Daft...READ MORE

Worcester, Wicomico Officials Unite Against Pension Shift

ANNAPOLIS -- In a rare moment of accord, all nine counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore stepped up to oppose the shift of a traditionally state-paid fund to the county level. 
Though it’s too early to tell if the effort will sway state legislators, some Worcester County officials have adapted an attitude of reserved optimism. “On a scale of 1-10, I think the meeting was about a 6,” said Worcester County Commission President Bud Church. “I’m not certain...READ MORE

Boardwalk Wind Turbines Headed To Council For OK

OCEAN CITY – A favorable recommendation will be moved forward to the Mayor and City Council to allow the first wind turbines to be installed on a Boardwalk property. Last October, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the installation of wind turbines in a residential district for the first time. Upon approval, the commission asked for information of an accurate decibels (dBA) rating, the final color and the engineer renderings of the structure. Mario Villa Santa had applied for a...READ MORE

Salisbury Council Shoots Down More Say For Mayor

SALISBURY -- An attempt by Salisbury Mayor Jim Ireton to regain some of the control taken from his office by a charter amendment last fall was dismissed by the City Council in a traditional 3-2 vote. “I’m just trying to gauge if we could meet halfway or partway,” Ireton told the council Monday. Ireton suggested a new charter amendment placing the city administrator and department heads on “at-will” status. Ireton also asked that his office be granted some say in the...READ MORE

Worcester Towns Hoping For Level Grant Funding

SNOW HILL -- Municipalities in Worcester County got a chance to pitch a few budget requests at the County Commissioners this week, but the almost across-the-board request was to simply preserve the same level of grant funding from last year. “We’re at a time right now where things are really starting to happen in Pocomoke,” said Mayor Bruce Morrison. According to Morrison, Pocomoke has benefited from working with Lisa Challenger, the director of tourism for Worcester...READ MORE

Berlin Chamber Redesign Rejected

BERLIN -- Plans to honor Edward Hammond went back to the drawing board this week after the Berlin Historic District Commission (HDC) failed to approve the design. “I don’t like it,” said Commissioner Rick Stack at Wednesday night’s meeting. The proposed Edward H. Hammond Jr. Visitor Center would be located at 14 South Main St. where the current Chamber of Commerce building sits. Former Berlin Councilwoman Ellen Lang, who spoke on behalf of the chamber, explained that the...READ MORE

Showell Students Learn About Virtues Of Books, Libraries

BERLIN -- As part of National Read Across America Day, representatives from the Ocean Pines branch of the Worcester County Library visited Showell Elementary School (SES) to talk to students about books and becoming a member. Library representative Robin Long began the presentation by revealing that, not only was last Friday Read Across America Day, it was also the 108th birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. According to Long, Dr. Seuss “helped people learn to love...READ MORE

Resort Hosting ‘Home Show’ This Weekend

OCEAN CITY – The Home, Condo, and Outdoor show will be back in action this weekend. The 28th Annual Home, Condo & Outdoor show will be held at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on Friday, March 9, noon-6 p.m.; Saturday, March 10 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, March 11, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. It is put on by Ocean Promotions, which bills the home show as an all-under-one-roof convenience that will display an “exciting array of the latest home improvement products and...READ MORE

OC Job Fair Set For March 17

OCEAN CITY – Attention all job seekers, the 27th Annual Job Fair will be held next weekend, March 17, at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and is free to all attendees. “It really started out as a way to have employers all in one place in Ocean City to hire seasonal help,” Events Director for the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Lisa Dennis said. There are 12,000 seasonal positions available in Ocean City a year. The job fair was initially...READ MORE

Council Briefed On This Summer’s Play It Safe Events

OCEAN CITY – Play It Safe 2012 is eagerly preparing for the thousands of high school graduates that will visit Ocean City this summer. This week the Mayor and City Council approved a list of events to keep the high school graduates busy while they are in town. This summer will be the 23rd Annual Play It Safe. Donna Greenwood of the OC Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention Committee describes the event as a program to encourage high school graduates to make good choices and to have responsible...READ MORE

Taxi Roof Ads Moving Forward

OCEAN CITY – Taxi owners moved one step closer this week to having the ability to earn additional revenue though alternative means. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin Lyons, owner of Community Cab, requested an increase in base fare rates and a change in the taxi indicator roof light to an advertising carrier. Lyons’ request to increase fare rates was denied, but the Mayor and City Council did agree to allow a change to an advertising carrier as well as to allow a $1 surcharge once fuel...READ MORE

Capital Project Plan Includes $37M For New Bennett Middle

SALISBURY -- After generating so much controversy in the community, it came as a surprise Tuesday when a public hearing for the Wicomico County 2013 Capital Budget and Proposed 2013-2017 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) came and went without much fanfare. Though filled with a variety of projects and budget items for the coming years, the centerpiece and most widely debated piece of the CIP and Capital Budget is funding for a new James M. Bennett Middle School (BMS). The CIP calls for...READ MORE

Beach Music Fest Eyes Summer 2013

OCEAN CITY – Not all hope is lost for a high-profile beach music festival in Ocean City, as Founders Entertainment asked the town this week to save a date next summer to debut its planned two-day event. Founders Entertainment first proposed its music festival in October of last year. It was to be held June 2-3, 2012 as a weekend music and arts festival with multiple stages on the beach from north Dorchester Street to 2nd Street. The event was estimated to bring 35,000 people per day with...READ MORE

OC Councilman Proposes Random Act of Kindness Day

OCEAN CITY – April 6 may become “Random Act of Kindness Day in Ocean City” to help motivate residents and visitors to pay it forward through acts of compassion. At Monday’s meeting, Councilman Brent Ashley started out by asking for an update on the initiative to have an official Ocean City song that was originally suggested by Councilman Joe Hall a few weeks ago. Mayor Rick Meehan said the concept has been sent to the town’s advertising firm, MGH, for its...READ MORE

City Council Approves Park-And-Ride Fee Hike

OCEAN CITY – It looks like the cost to ride the Park-and-Ride shuttle from West Ocean City into the resort is heading for an increase as it received the Ocean City Mayor and Council’s approval this week and now only needs the blessing of the Maryland Transit Administration. The Mayor and City Council held a public hearing at its meeting Monday to seek public comment on a proposal to raise the fare for the Park-and-Ride shuttle that operates between West Ocean City and the South...READ MORE

Council Narrows City Manager Field

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City has narrowed the field of candidates to fill Ocean City’s vacant city manager post and expects to have the seat filled no later than May. In separate phone interviews Wednesday, Mayor and Interim City Manager Rick Meehan and Human Resources Director Wayne Evans confirmed the process to hire a new city manager is on track and reaching its final stages. During a closed meeting at City Hall on Monday, the Mayor and City Council met with John Anzivino, Senior Vice...READ MORE

Bill Paves Way For North OC Wine, Beer Festival

OCEAN CITY -- If businesses in north Ocean City want to pool resources to hold a wine or beer festival, the law will most likely soon be on their side. It was said at last month’s North Ocean City Business Alliance meeting at the Greene Turtle North that holding an event or two in the northern part of the town would help bring people to the area as well as help surrounding businesses. Suggested events included a wine festival or maybe a craft beer event or a combination of both, although...READ MORE

Coastal Highway Lane Closures Planned

OCEAN CITY – Beginning on Monday, March 12, motorists traveling northbound on Coastal Highway at 49th Street will be rerouted to the bus lane as all three northbound lanes will be closed to enable work on the town’s sewer main project. The lane closure is necessary as the contractor working on the sewer main project along Coastal Highway this winter needs to cross from the southbound fast lane, where work has been occurring all winter, at 49th Street over all three of the northbound...READ MORE

Judge Urges Settlement In Clean Water Act Case

BERLIN -- In a ruling with mixed results for the parties involved, a U.S. District Court judge in Baltimore last week again urged both sides in the ongoing legal battle involving a local farm to strike a settlement. In a statement this week, the Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) said it, too, was interested in seeing a settlement being reached in the lawsuit pitting the Waterkeeper Alliance against Perdue Farms, Inc. and Alan and Kristin Hudson, owners of the farm at the heart of the Clean Water...READ MORE

State’s Attorney Addresses Baby Ava Case Critics

BERLIN -- In response to dozens of Facebook posts on the Worcester County State’s Attorney’s page in recent weeks, Beau Oglesby posted a statement on the social network last Friday addressing the situation involving Andre Kaczynski. Back in December, Kaczynski, while allegedly high on PCP, crashed into a vehicle on Coastal Highway in north Ocean City, causing major injuries to Ava DelRicco, who was 18 months old at the time, and her mother. On the scene of the accident, which...READ MORE

Surprises Await Inside New Pink Building Along Route 50

BERLIN -- Fashions For Less has moved into Berlin and is making its presence known with some unconventional marketing. “The pink building is an advertisement itself,” acknowledged owner Don McLane. Located off Route 50, across from Stephen Decatur High School, the brightly colored Fashions store specializes in fashion accessories, and Don McLane is confident that his business will fill its own niche in Worcester County. “We really wanted to introduce wholesale to this...READ MORE