July 27, 2007

Thursday, August 2 - Council Narrowly Forwards Proposed Boathenge Project

OCEAN CITY - Despite growing support from some sectors and a passionate presentation of the Boathenge project Tuesday, the concept barely passed the scrutiny of the City Council, sliding through in a 4-3 vote to forward the project to the Army Corps of Engineers for further consideration. Joe Kroart III, owner of the Ocean Gallery on the Boardwalk, came before the council at Tuesday's work session to present his pet project, Boathenge, which Kroart hopes will attract public relations and...READ MORE

Wednesday, August 1 - Questions Remain In Mysterious Fetus Case

OCEAN CITY - There are more questions than answers today as the bizarre case of a local woman charged with murder for somehow causing the stillborn birth of her infant, followed by the discovery of the remains of three more fetuses in and around her Ocean City home, continues to unravel. After two days of intense investigation and a national media blitz, during which new details emerged almost hourly, it is decidedly calm around the crime scene on Sunset Drive in Ocean City today. Much is still...READ MORE

Tuesday, July 31 - More Details Emerge in Freeman Case

OCEAN CITY - A preliminary report from the state Medical Examiner's Office late yesterday estimates the dead fetus found wrapped in a blanket under the bathroom sink at an Ocean City residence last Thursday was approximately 26 weeks old and was likely stillborn. The fetus's body was discovered after Christy Freeman, 37, of Ocean City was taken to the hospital last Thursday with bleeding and other symptoms. Upon investigation, doctors discovered a placenta and the severed end of an umbilical...READ MORE

Monday, July 30 - More Infant Remains Found At Ocean City Home

OCEAN CITY - Although authorities are being guarded with information because the investigation is ongoing, police confirmed this morning the bodies of three more children have been found at an Ocean City home. No further information has been released on the children's age, but at that same Sunset Avenue home police discovered a dead premature baby wrapped in a blanket late Thursday night. Police were tipped off to the house after Ocean City resident Christy Freeman, 37, appeared at Peninsula...READ MORE

Monday, July 30 - Bond Denied In Murder Case Despite Innocence Plea

OCEAN CITY - An Ocean City woman facing first-degree murder charges for the alleged killing of her infant late last week was ordered held without bail by District Court Judge Daniel R. Mumford this afternoon, but only after she made an impassioned plea to be released on bond so she could begin clearing her name in what is turning out to be a heinous case. Christy Freeman, 37, of Ocean City, appeared for a bond review this afternoon in District Court, just a couple miles from where local and...READ MORE

O.C. Woman Charged with Killing Her Unborn Child

OCEAN CITY- Ocean City Police Department detectives were contacted by the Department of Social Services yesterday regarding a woman who was hospitalized at Peninsula Regional Medical Center. Christy Freeman, 37, of Ocean City, was admitted to the hospital around 4:25 a.m. Thursday. Upon examination, medical personnel determined she was pregnant, but the child was missing. After interviewing Freeman, officers obtained a search and seizure warrant for her Ocean City residence at 209 Sunset Drive....READ MORE

High School Project Costs Surprise Commissioners

SNOW HILL - Despite what one Worcester County Commissioner called 'shocking numbers,' the commissioners voted Tuesday to send the Pocomoke High School (PHS) renovation and addition out to bid. The $45 million current cost estimate is $13 million more than the original estimate of $32 million. 'These numbers are shocking,' Commissioner Virgil Shockley said. Shockley said he doubts the county will be able to afford the Snow Hill High School renovation and the Showell Elementary School project...READ MORE

Local Lawmakers Score Well On Environmental Report Card

BERLIN - The annual environmental report cards for state legislators were released last week by the Maryland League of Conservation Voters (MLCV), and the improved scores across the board in Maryland were mirrored by local lawmakers for the most part with few exceptions. The MLCV each year issues a scorecard of sorts rating the environmental voting records of state senators and delegates across Maryland from the most recent General Assembly session. The annual publication reviews each...READ MORE

Local Named To Team Heading To Surf In Australia

OCEAN CITY - Vince Boulanger is one of the many Ocean City local surfers who has spent his life surfing the local waters and dreaming of surfing the world's biggest waves. With this summer's trip to Australia with the ESA Allstar team, Boulanger is well on his way to realizing those dreams. Boulanger will travel halfway across the world with the other 24 members of the Allstar team to be coached on surfing and to meet an abundance of influential people in the surf industry. The ESA, or the...READ MORE

News In Brief

OCPD Chief Appointed To State Commission OCEAN CITY - Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley announced recently Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino was appointed as a regional representative to the Maryland Police Training Commission. The commission, which falls under the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, oversees the hiring and training standards for all law enforcement and corrections personnel throughout Maryland. DiPino will serve a three-year term on the commission....READ MORE

Town Plant Negotiations Continue At Slow Pace

BERLIN - Berlin Mayor Tom Cardinale and developer Troy Purnell had hoped to sign a memorandum on the construction of the new wastewater plant at the Crossroads development this week, but the final draft of the document was not complete by yesterday afternoon. Although the memorandum of understanding was not on the agenda of Monday night's Berlin Town Council meeting, it was one of the first items discussed. 'I would like to emphasize this is not a contract,' said Berlin Utilities Commission...READ MORE

A Week In Business

Chamber Director Named BERLIN - The Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors has announced the appointment of Melanie A. Pursel as the new executive director. Pursel, who started her new role on July 9, received her Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Marketing from Salisbury University in 1997. She then received her Master of Science in Applied Industrial/Organizational Psychology in 2000 from University of Baltimore. I/O Psychology focuses on HR management, organizational...READ MORE

"Dom Spino and the Ordering of the Deathly Hallows"

It's been almost a week now. I've been trying to get my hands on the newest and final Harry Potter book since its July 21 release and I think it's starting to show. There are bags under my eyes, my skin is growing paler, and I'm losing my patience with random people. I'm being plagued with bad dreams. Perhaps 'he who must not be named' is invading my mind, and I've never taken Occlemency classes. I've been to every bookstore on the Eastern Shore, (which isn't very many stores now that I think of...READ MORE

Roofer Without A License Probed

BERLIN - A local roofer charged with operating without a contractor's license is out of jail this week after posting a $20,000 bond after a joint investigation conducted by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) and the Maryland Home Improvement Commission resulted in as many as five charges of felony theft and failure to perform a contract. The investigation began after WCBI and the commission received numerous complaints from local citizens about Jimmy Lewis Roofing based in Ocean...READ MORE

Catch 54

OCEAN CITY - Positioned on the bay off of Route 54 in Fenwick, Del. sits the latest installment of the chain of SoDel restaurants. SoDel's latest success, Catch 54, is reviving the classic Eastern Shore fish house, bringing classic recipes with a modern twist to visitors and locals alike. SoDel is a restaurant group that has brought four restaurants to the Delaware shore in just three years. Fish On, of Lewes; Bluecoast Seafood Market & Grill, of North Bethany; and NorthEast Seafood...READ MORE

My Thoughts

Insider likes to take the pooch to the bank once a month to deposit his social security check. Visit any drive-in bank in Worcester County and invariably your bank bag will be returned to you with a nice milk bone for your buddy. That's nice. And what's even nicer is that after a visit or two the dog becomes aware of what's going on and stares out the window at the teller throughout the entire transaction. What's not so nice is the foamy liquid that rolls down the car window each time and only...READ MORE

A Smart Way To Free Up Some Cash In A Pinch

BERLIN - Though budgets are always where your financial strategy begins, they're never where it ends. Unplanned expenses always manage to crop up somehow, and they can put your long-term goals at risk. Therefore, it's crucial to have a flexible strategy for managing your debt as well as your assets. One source of help you may not realize you have is the borrowing power of your portfolio. Using your assets as the basis for a margin loan gives you access to a virtually limitless menu of...READ MORE

We Remember Those Who Have Passed

Bernadette Mary Webb BERLIN - Bernadette Mary Webb, (nee Kosinski) age 73, died Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. Born in Baltimore, she was the daughter of the late Andrew F. and Frances (nee Wawrzyniak) Kosinski. She was preceded in death by her husband George Edward Webb in 2003. She is survived by a daughter, Karen A. Stillman of Paradise, Calif; a son Michael J. Kocur and his wife Colleen of Arnold, Md.; four grandchildren, Kelsey Kocur, Jennah Stillman, Eli...READ MORE

Ocean City

OCEAN CITY Seaside Retreat Daily 10-4 3BR, 2.5BA Coldwell Banker 410-723-1000 OCEAN CITY Somerset at Second Daily 10 - 3 3BR Boardwalk Condos Eric Cropper ReMax Premier Properties 443-373-9409 OCEAN CITY The Quay Saturday 2 & 3BR Condos Mary McCracken Long & Foster 410-430-7302 OCEAN CITY Pelican Perch Weekends 11-3 4BR, 4.5BA, & Loft Coldwell Banker 410-723-1000 OCEAN CITY Bahia Vista Daily 12-4 3 & 4 BR Bayfront Condos Della & Joe Wilson ReMax Premier...READ MORE

West Ocean City - Ocean Pines - DE. - VA.

WEST OCEAN CITY Sailor's Watch Golf Course Road Daily 10-4 New 3BR, 3.5BA Luxury Townhouses Coldwell Banker FENWICK ISLAND, DE Bayside Open Daily Condos, Towns, & Single Family Homes Jack Nicklaus Golf Course Carl M. Freeman 877-436-9998 VIRGINIA Captain's Cove Daily 9 - 5 Resort Community With Amenities Coldwell Banker Eastern Shore 800-258-5843 BERLIN 10042 Hayes Landing Rd Sun 12 - 3 3.84 Acres + 3BR Farmhouse Lynelle Elliot Sheppard Realty 443-523-5689 FENWICK ISLAND, DE Rt 54 &...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

Fact: A Fruitland man died this week in the ocean trying to rescue his two sons reportedly caught in a rip current near the Inlet after the Ocean City Beach Patrol went off duty. Opinion: This is a heartbreaking story for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact it's easily preventable. Although the Ocean City Beach Patrol's motto, 'Keep your feet in the sand, until the lifeguard's in the stand,' might be on the cheesy side, it's true. Even in calm conditions, which was not the...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Requests For Changes In OC Bayside Regs Editor: (The following was sent this week to the Mayor and City Council and Planning Commission members. A copy was also forwarded to this publication.) The Hall's family thanks you for trying to bring flexibility to large bayside parcels. We feel it is not only the best interest of us, but also the best interest for the town as a whole. The best possible use of a property is to everyone's benefit. We would like to relay to you that the Special Bayside...READ MORE

An Inside Look At A Day In The Life Of OC Lifeguard

OCEAN CITY - It has often been said that you don't really know someone until you walk in their shoes. Well, on Sunday, I did just that and those shoes belonged to Ocean City Beach Patrol (OCBP) Crew Chief Jason Konyar. After spending a full day shadowing Konyar, an eight-year veteran of the OCBP, a second year crew chief and a teacher at local Stephen Decatur High School, my day in the life of a lifeguard crew chief begins at 9:30 a.m. when I meet Konyar at the 27th Street station where he and...READ MORE

Late Ocean Downs Driver Remembered

BERLIN- Harness drivers, trainers, owners and the entire Ocean Downs racing family gathered at the track's winner's circle before the evening of racing last Saturday, July 21, in memory of popular local horseman Keith Long, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 37 last Thursday, July 19 at his home. Keith Long is a third-generation horseman whose grandfather Elwood had raced at Ocean Downs when it first opened in 1949. Keith's father, Ed was a very successful driver at the Ocean Oval...READ MORE

Sunset Marina Wins Bragging Rights

The team of boats from Sunset Marina in West Ocean City last weekend earned bragging rights around the fishing community for the next year after capturing the 13th Annual Marina Shootout for the second straight year. The annual event pits teams from area marinas against each other in a two-day tournament with cash and prizes as well as bragging rights on the line. Sunset Marina won the event last weekend behind a strong showing by the 'Pumpin' Hard,' which weighed a 163-pound bluefin tuna and a...READ MORE

Former Seahawk Shines In All-Star Game

BERLIN- Former Stephen Decatur High School pitching standout Mike Castrignano got a chance to show off his game in front of a regional television audience this week when he pitched in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League All-Star game on Monday night. Castrignano, who was dominating at Decatur as a pitcher and at the plate, is playing baseball this summer for the College Park Bombers of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate League. The seven-team league features some of the best college players from...READ MORE

Berlin 9-10 All-Stars Fall in State Title Game

BERLIN- After five tension-filled games in five days, the Berlin Little League 9-10 All-Stars finally ran out of gas and fell to Conococheague, 13-3, in the state championship game at Cambridge on Monday. Berlin's 9-10 All-Stars won the District 8 championship last week to advance to the state tournament for the first time in several years. For five days starting last Thursday, the Berlin Little Leaguers embarked on a wild five-game journey that left them on the doorstep of a state title, but...READ MORE

Berlin Little League

Despite falling in the state championship game this week, the Berlin Little League 9-10 All-Stars had a magical post-season run that included a District 8 championship. Pictured above, the players and coaches proudly show off their District 8 championship banner. Pictured below, Berlin All-Star catcher Grant Donahue fires the ball back to the mound during the state playoffs last weekend. Photos by Mike Donahue ...READ MORE

Live Bands And DJs

Angler, The: 410-289-7424, Talbot St & the bay; Outside Deck: Sunday, July 29: Drew Stevyns, 4-7 p.m.; Every Sunday night; Locals Social with DJ Deogee. Assateague Island Oasis: 410-629-1492, Rt. 611; Friday & Saturday, July 27 & 28: Patrick McAllorum; Sunday, July 29 & Wednesday, Aug. 1: Jon Pheasant; Thursday, Aug. 2: Katie Bragg. All entertainment starts at 6:30 p.m. Blue Ox & Babe's Lounge: 410-250-6440, 127th St. & Coastal Hwy.; Friday & Saturday, July 27 &...READ MORE

Berlin OKs New Dog Rules

BERLIN - A public hearing on Berlin's new dog regulations attracted a single speaker, and the Town Council passed the ordinance with little fanfare Monday night. 'I agree with the ordinance. I appreciate the ordinance,' Diane Graham said. 'It seems lately in our society dogs are more entitled to rights than people are.' The new ordinance requires all dogs to be leashed when off the owner's property and imposes higher fines on biting dogs. The new law also governs dog-created nuisances, like...READ MORE

Guilty Plea For Trying To Buy Items With Pot

 OCEAN CITY - A Bel Air, Md., man found out this week cash, not marijuana, is the currency of choice in Ocean City after pleading guilty to attempting to purchase items from a resort convenience store with a bag of dope in May, resulting in his arrest on drug and theft charges. Michael Lee Autry, 27, of Bel Air, Md., pleaded guilty to the charges of possession of marijuana in District Court on Monday for an incident in May when he attempted to exchange marijuana for merchandise at the...READ MORE

Sand Source For Replenishment Work Discussed

OCEAN CITY - In an effort to find new sources of material offshore for the ongoing beach replenishment project, a public meeting was held Wednesday night to outline the program, identify the areas under consideration and allow for public comment. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the identified sources of sand offshore for the beach replenishment project in Ocean City could be exhausted by 2010, well before the project is to be completed in 2044. In 1994, construction for the...READ MORE

Water Restrictions Near In Berlin If Drought Continues

BERLIN - The town of Berlin is considering enacting water conservation measures after this year's drought has significantly reduced water supplies.  'We should talk about water conservation,' Town Council member Ellen Lang said during the council comments portion of the meeting on Monday evening. 'Somerset County is having problems. We're approximately 40 percent off of the rainfall we normally have here.' The Berlin Utilities Commission (BUC) discussed voluntary water conservation last...READ MORE

County Votes 4-3 To Accept Exorbitant Bids

BERLIN - Despite bid prices for the county jail renovation and addition coming in at $3 million over estimate, four Worcester County Commissioners voted to accept the bids, derailing the efforts of other commissioners to re-bid some aspects of the project in search of lower prices. The jail project's budget for materials and work was estimated at $19.3 million before the bids were received, but came in at $22.4 million after the bids were opened and some of the prices were negotiated down. Some...READ MORE

Father Dies Trying To Rescue His Kids

OCEAN CITY - Tragedy struck last weekend when a Fruitland man died in the ocean near the Inlet while attempting to save his two young sons caught in a rip current. Around 5:45 p.m. on Sunday, Renald Charles, 38, of Fruitland, went into the ocean near the Inlet in an attempt to rescue his two sons, ages 10 and 13, who had become distressed in the water. The father and two sons, now caught in a rip current, drifted around the north jetty and headed toward the Inlet. Witnesses on a nearby...READ MORE

Feds Eye Options To Reduce Island's Horse Population

ASSATEAGUE - While Chincoteague held its famous pony swim and auction this week as a means to reduce the size of its native horse population and earn some money for the local volunteer fire company along the way, its neighbors to the north at Assateague continue to explore ways to thin its herd of wild ponies.  An estimated 150 wild horses crossed the channel from the barrier island to the fairgrounds on the other side during the 82nd Annual Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim on Wednesday in what...READ MORE

White Marlin Open Inks Deal To Stay In OC Through 2010

OCEAN CITY - Hundreds of thousands of sport fishing enthusiasts will cram into the resort late next week with the arrival of the annual White Marlin Open, but despite some inherent problems with the tournament's traditional venue, steps have been taken to ensure it remains a uniquely Ocean City event. Rumors have persisted for years the annual White Marlin Open, now in its 34th year, would some day move to a new location likely somewhere in West Ocean City where big venues such as Sunset Marina...READ MORE

Accident Causes OC Power Outage

OCEAN CITY - A local man faces several hit-and-run charges this week for leaving the scene of an accident after colliding with stabilizing wires on an electric utility pole, knocking out power for much of the resort Wednesday afternoon and into the night. Ocean City police responded to a hit-and-run traffic crash Wednesday afternoon around 4:39 p.m.  Witnesses told police a man in a pickup truck collided with several wires stabilizing a Delmarva Power utility pole at 2nd Street and...READ MORE

Berlin Planners Hear Proposed Project's Details

BERLIN - Property owners Tom Ruark and Monogram Builders would like to develop the Davis-Taylor Farms into 816 units of workforce housing and assisted living, but Bob Bunting, owner of the neighboring airstrip, is not happy with that idea. Bunting fears the development's residents would complain about aircraft noise and that eventually he would be sued. The past history of developments near airstrips shows that complaints just increase as more houses are built, according to Bunting. 'By the...READ MORE

Chilly Ocean Rebounds From Recent Cold Spell

OCEAN CITY - Swimmers who have noticed the unusually cold waters over the past two weeks saw a five-degree temperature spike Sunday, resulting in warmer waters for beach-goers. According to Ocean City Beach Patrol Crew Chief Jason Konyar, the ocean temperature increased from 68.7 degrees on Saturday to 73 degrees on Sunday. The temperature increase is good news for swimmers, but many vacationers wondered last week the reason behind the rise and fall of water temperatures. Konyar explained that...READ MORE

Council Seeks Town Hall Flag Thoughts

BERLIN - The two new flagpoles proposed for the roof of Berlin's town hall may not be the best choice, and public input on new flagpoles at Berlin's Town Hall is needed, the Town Council agreed this week. Two weeks ago, Mayor Tom Cardinale suggested replacing the current set-up, which has small flagpoles jutting from the second story Town Hall, over the front door awning, with two new poles extending into the air over the roof. 'Frankly, I'm not smitten with your idea of flags flying on top of...READ MORE

County's First Online Auction Called A Success

SNOW HILL - Worcester County's first online auction of surplus vehicles and equipment was successful and brought in more money than the most recent traditional auction, Worcester County staff reported this week, 'We grossed around $84,500 on the auction with minimal expenses,' said Public Works Director John Tustin. 'In 2005, we had nine more pieces of equipment and the [online] auction actually grossed $15,000 more.' All 59 items offered were sold, from 47 vehicles to 12 pieces of equipment,...READ MORE

Fire Wipes Out Route 589 Structure

BERLIN - A Tuesday evening fire at a plant nursery along Route 589 across from Ocean Downs pumped billowing black smoke into the sky that could be seen from miles around and snarled rush hour traffic along the busy corridor for hours as five area fire companies battled the blaze. The fire started around 5 p.m. on Tuesday at the Planted Pleasures nursery on Route 589 and the smoke could be seen from Berlin to Ocean Pines to Ocean City. The fire was first reported at 5:14 p.m. and firefighters...READ MORE

Foreign Worker Foils Robbery Attempt

OCEAN CITY - In a situation that would be comical if it weren't so serious, an attempted armed robbery at a resort department store was thwarted this week when the clerk, a foreign seasonal worker, allegedly could not decipher the suspect's note demanding money. Resort police this week are searching for man who attempted to rob the Rose's department store in the old Ocean Plaza Mall on Monday night. Police responded to the store after receiving a call around 7:15 p.m. According to police...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A turn in a relationship upsets the amorous Arian, who is puzzled by Cupid's romantic antics. Be patient and considerate. The confusion will soon sort itself out. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): It's a good time for travel-loving Taureans to take off for fun-filled jaunts to new places. And don't be surprised if Cupid tags along for what could be a very eventful trip. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): You appear to be of two minds about continuing a relationship that seems...READ MORE

Things I Like

When locals win money in the big fishing tournaments Eating at the Greek Festival Finding a surprise in the mail When people call and say we should not print this or that Sunflowers in a front yard Cooler air after a big storm How the beach patrol deals with lost kids Sleeping through a thunderstorm Watching the boats return from sea to the docks Being first in a stoplight on Coastal Highway The Big Ben roll at The Globe  ...READ MORE

First Shore Federal Savings and Loan

First Shore Federal Savings and Loan recently presented a donatio to the Delmarva Discovery Center, which will serve as a source of learning and discovery on the Pocomoke River for the public through the preservation and interpretation of its cultural and natural heritage. Above, the bank's Jim Jones and Leonard Brown are pictured with Barbara Tull, Don Holdren and Brian Garrett of the Delmarva Discovery Center. Submitted Photos ...READ MORE

Ocean City Lions Club

Chris Trimper, 30, of West Ocean City, was recently installed as President or 'King Lion' of the Ocean City Lions Club. Trimper currently is the quality control coordinator of Trimper's Amusements in downtown Ocean City. Above, Trimper is being congratulated by his grandfather, Granville Trimper. The elder Trimper has been a member of the Ocean City Lions Club for 58 years and served as its president from 1993 to 1994. ...READ MORE

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore

The Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore has awarded a $3,250 Community Needs Program Grant to the Deaf Independent Living Association (DILA), which serves hearing impaired individuals in the Lower Eastern Shore of Maryland. The grant will provide training for healthcare providers of adults with disabilities and the hearing impaired to help increase awareness of local healthcare resources. Pictured are: Spicer Bell, Foundation President; and Jennifer Whitcomb, DILA Executive Director. ...READ MORE