OCEAN CITY – The Gateway Grand condominium project gained approval for a six-foot height change to its parking garage this week, a minor change that will not affect the overall height of the building, but one that warranted an air of caution among the Mayor and Council.In an effort to avoid what several people have… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The town’s Public Works sector faced a few reprimands at this week’s regular session of the Mayor and Council when a resident pointed out some minor but critical areas of miscommunication between the town and its citizens. Dave Melocik addressed the Mayor and Council during the “comments from the citizens” portion of… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – With an opening date at least one month away, local library officials are busy preparing for the transition from the antiquated branch on 14th Street to the modern facility on 100th Street.The Dispatch walked through the new branch of the Ocean City Library this week, while workers continued to get the tech-savvy… Read more »

BERLIN – Authorities made three arrests this week in connection with the reported murder of a 42-year-old woman who was found dead earlier this month along a dirt road near Pocomoke.Judy Lynn Wojcik’s body was discovered on Sunday, Jan. 13. Her body was immediately transferred to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore for an… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – Driving while text messaging and talking on cell phones may be the norm for many Maryland motorists, but a recently proposed Senate bill that opts to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving could bring that habit to a screeching halt, that is if it is passed. Senator Michael G…. Read more »

BERLIN – Berlin Mayor Tom Cardinale will definitely run for re-election this fall, he said this week.“I haven’t made it official. I haven’t made it a secret either,” Cardinale said of his election plans.Cardinale, elected to office in 2004, said he has several goals he wants to accomplish before leaving elected office.“My goal is to… Read more »

OCEAN CITY – The 2007 Ocean City Police Department Annual Report was released this week, providing the final numbers for crimes and arrests in 2007 and revealing some interesting trends in the resort town. Beginning with the positives reflected in the 2007 Annual Report, serious crime decreased by 7.7 percent from 2006.  Overall crimes against… Read more »

BERLIN – Berlin must reduce its energy use by 15 percent in the next seven years, according to the Maryland Public Service Commission.The town must decrease electricity usage by 2015 under a state initiative called EmPower Maryland.Public education will be a key component of the reduction, Berlin’s Administrative Director Linda Bambary said.Berlin Mayor Tom Cardinale… Read more »