January 2, 2009

Friday, January 2--Free Bus Rides Just A City Perk

OCEAN CITY - As Ocean City's new Year's Eve crowds sang along to Auld Lang Syne bringing in 2009, the free bus service that the town provided yet again to ensure public safety is something that should be 'ne'er forgot.' In a year when the City is tightening its proverbial belt across the board, making huge cuts everywhere from City Hall to the outskirts of the city limits, the free bus ran yet again on New Year's, as it has every year since the mid-1990's. Brian Connor, assistant superintendent...READ MORE

Decatur Girls Drop Coleman Tourney Opener

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's girls' varsity basketball team dropped a tough one last week in the opening round of the annual John Coleman Christmas Tournament, falling to host Pocomoke, 53-21, last Tuesday. The annual holiday tournament, named for long-time Worcester County Public Schools Administrator John Coleman, has become one of the highlights of the high school basketball tournament schedule on the Eastern Shore over the years. This year's tournament marked a return to tradition with the...READ MORE

Mallard Fives Regroup for 2nd Half

BERLIN- With the first half of their seasons in the books, the jury is still out for the Worcester Prep's boys' and girls' varsity basketball teams, but with expectations low in what appears to be a rebuilding for both squads, there has been reason for optimism thus far. From the beginning, Worcester Prep's boys' varsity team knew it would have to rely heavily on senior captain Parker McIntosh and junior standout Justin Butler, who have both held up their end so far this early season. However, a...READ MORE

Seahawks Fall in Holiday Tourney

SALISBURY- Stephen Decatur's boys' varsity basketball team lost a tough one last weekend, falling to Thurgood Marshall High of New York, 60-40, in the opening round of the National High School Coaches Association Holiday Basketball Festival in Salisbury. Formerly known as the Lion's Club Holiday Classic, the tournament featured 39 of the top high school programs in five states including several from the Bayside Conference. The NHSCA Holiday Classic has grown from humble beginnings to become a...READ MORE

Turtle Lax Team Vying for National Title

OCEAN CITY- The Greene Turtle boys' elite travel lacrosse team headed to Tampa this week to compete in the prestigious Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions in Tampa, an invite-only tourney featuring the best high school All-Star teams in the country, with a national championship on the line. The Greene Turtle club, made up of some of the top high school lacrosse players from across the Eastern Shore including many from right here in the Ocean City and Berlin area, enjoyed its best...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Back of the bag 410-250-3337 130 St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, Jan. 2: TBA Saturday, Jan. 3: Opposite Directions Every Tuesday: Open Mic Hosted By Tungsten Groove Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, Jan. 2: TBA Saturday, Jan. 3: TBA Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums 410-524-1000 On the beach, 118th Street Friday, Jan. 2: DJ Rupe, 7-10 p.m. Clarion Hotel 410-524-3535 , 10100 Coastal Hwy.  Friday, Jan. 2 & Saturday, Jan. 3: First Class Cowboyz...READ MORE

People in Society

Neighbors helping the Community throughout the week. ...READ MORE

Faces in Places

Spotlight on the Bar and Restaurant Scene throughout the area ...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

Here are some predictions for how I see 2009 developing locally and elsewhere: -- Due to bureaucratic delays and other practical obstacles, not one slot machine will be operated at any of the state's select sites. That will happen in 2010. -- After making some minor tweaks to the proposal on the table, the Ocean City Council will approve in a 4-3 vote a $5 million upgrade of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. -- Berlin will vote to annex the Tyson poultry plant property, linking the move to...READ MORE

Take Tax Rate Hike Off Table Early On

Ocean City property owners are now receiving their assessment notices and discovering first hand what happens when a real estate market basically collapses. Three property owners we spoke with this week saw annual decreases in property values of 2 percent, 7 percent and 11 percent. One property owner saw an increase of 4 percent because his property was part of a new construction project. With approximately 95 percent of Ocean City's 35,000 tax accounts registering a decline in land values, it...READ MORE

Tourism Plays Role Even In Cold Times

BERLIN - Despite Worcester County's reputation as a summer destination, winter in Worcester County still attracts tourists.  'January is never going to be July in terms of visitors but we can still have some pretty solid weekends with events going on,' said Ocean City Public Relations Director Donna Abbott.  Events like the Winterfest of Lights in Ocean City and Victorian Christmas in Berlin help attract people to Worcester County over the holiday season, said Worcester County Director...READ MORE

A Week in Business

AGH Eyes Magnet Designation BERLIN -  Atlantic General Hospital is working toward being the third hospital in the state of Maryland designated as Magnet facilities. Fewer than 300 hospitals world-wide are currently recognized as having the Magnet Designation, the highest international recognition for nursing and clinical excellence, which is used as the ultimate benchmark to measure the quality of healthcare provided by an institution. Just over 5 percent of all healthcare organizations in...READ MORE

My Thoughts

This is the true doldrums. Everywhere Insider seems to turn these days it's gloom and doom about this and that. Nobody has any money to pay their bills, especially their mortgages, blah, blah. It's all you read about any more in the news. Sales are down everywhere, while the cost of everything is going up. Nobody has any money left over after they pay their bills each month Even the credit companies are struggling, and they usually do well in tough times because they are like buzzards preying on...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

Last week was our first Christmas with our little boy. It's worth pointing out I intentionally did not word it this way: it was our little boy's first Christmas. Although that's technically true, of course, this year's holiday seemed to be more about us enjoying having him around this time of year than our 7-month-old actually being excited over the festivities. Beckett was simply too young this year to realize Christmas was any different than any other day in his life. Other than traveling...READ MORE

Grinch Steals Christmas

Grinch Steals Christmas WHALEYVILLE - Maryland State Police this week are looking for the suspect or suspects who broke into a residence in Bishopville last week just three days before Christmas and stole, among other things, wrapped gifts for small children. Around 5:30 p.m. last Monday, Maryland State Police troopers from the Berlin barrack responded to a residence on, ironically, Ebenezer Rd. in Whaleyville for a reported burglary. The investigation revealed sometime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m....READ MORE

Pine'eer Craft Club Holiday Luncheon

The Pine'eer Craft Club held its Holiday Luncheon and Installation of 2009 Officers on Dec. 18 at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club. Pictured, from left, are Executive Board members Joan King, Margaret Lamphier, Jackie Kollar, Midge Powell, Mary Cavey, June Sassaman, Janet Rosensteel, Carol Mills, Margaret Long and Nancy Welsh, President. ...READ MORE

Merrill Lynch and US Marine Corp Reserves Give Thanks

Merrill Lynch and the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve would like to thank all of the clients that donated the wrapped toys for this year's Toys for Tots drive. Pictured with Merrill Lynch Financial Advisors Christine Selzer, Brian Selzer and Rodney Dean and Client Associate Ashley are Marines Bob Deickman, Joe Kessler, Al Kessler, Frank Mathers and John Sushinsky. ...READ MORE

AGH receives 2009 Penguin Swim Donation

Arby's of Salisbury recently donated $1,000 to the Atlantic General Hospital Foundation as an Iceberg Sponsor of the 2009 Penguin Swim. Pictured, from left, are Todd Hershey, president of Arby's of Salisbury and chairman of the Atlantic General Hospital Foundation and Michael Franklin, president and CEO of Atlantic General Hospital. ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep donatest to WBOC Bless Our Children Campaign

Worcester Preparatory School faculty representative Tom Westcott, left, recently presented a check for the Bless Our Children Campaign to Steve Hammond of WBOC-TV. The money was raised through donations from faculty, student organizations, and students at the Berlin school. ...READ MORE

Daisy Scout Troop from OC Elementary gets Petal Badges

Daisy scout leaders Grace Mitchell and Julie Vorsteg recent presented members of Daisy Scout troop 1459 from Ocean City Elementary School with their first petal badges for making reindeer holiday cheer bags for patients in the hospital. Troop members pictured are Brittyn Lyra Leonard, Jacelyn Clapsaddle, Allison Marx, Summer Vorsteg, Sarah Engle, Emily Tilghman, Chelsea VanVonna, Mae Purnell, Lydia Woodley, Bridgette Buxbaum, Macy Layton, Julianna Fohner, Madison Delamater, Natalie Piltoyan,...READ MORE

Holiday Hospitality Sales and Marketing Partnership Luncheon Held

Sales Director Fred Wise, Executive Director Diakonia Claudia Nagle and Marketing and Advertising Manager of the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department are pictured at the recent Holiday Hospitality Sales and Marketing Partnership (HSMP) luncheon. HSMP collected, tagged and wrapped gifts for the residents of Diakonia and presented them at last month's meeting. ...READ MORE

OC Elementary December Students of the Month

Ocean City Elementary School honored the December Students of the Month with a luncheon from Wendy's, a special cake and a Student of the Month T-shirt. This month's sponsor was the Ocean City/Berlin Opti-Ms. Pictured, first from left, first grade honorees Miles Thompson, Max Ewancio and Madison Dery (not pictured are Eden Goldfarb and Cali Peters); second row, second grade winners, from left, Francesca Wheeler, Sarah Hancock, Jenna Dolan, George Brous and Alex Bean; third row, third graders...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Students Go Door to Door to Help the Needy

Worcester Prep sixth grade students Maura Smith, left, and Arella Berger, both of Ocean City, decided they wanted to work hard to collect more food to add to Worcester Prep's Student Government collection, which went to needy families this holiday season. The girls went door to door in the Oyster Harbor community and collected over three large tubs of assorted food items. ...READ MORE

SDHS Junior wins Poetry Out Loud Contest

Stephen Decatur High School junior Tracy Morey, above reciting Claude McKay's poem 'Romance', won first place in the Poetry Out Loud Contest, a national, oral recitation poetry contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation and the State Arts Agencies. Second place winner for SDHS was Katie Atwood who will compete, along with Morey, against Worcester Prep's first and second place winners. The third place winner from SDHS was Laura Prengaman. ...READ MORE

WPS has Reader's Theater with Mr. and Mrs. Claus

Seventh grade students in Geneva Sampson's class at Worcester Prep treated primary level students in the school to a Readers' Theater featuring Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and their elves. Santa, portrayed by Jamie Welch, Ocean Pines, was taken ill and couldn't deliver all the gifts the elves made. To the rescue came Mrs. Claus, portrayed by Jennifer Karsli, Ocean City, who dressed in Santa's suit and took off with the presents and the reindeer in order to save Christmas. Cast members pictured,...READ MORE

Tiny Angels at the Worcester Prep Candlelight Service

Tiny Worcester Prep angels get ready for their part in the school's annual Christmas Candlelight Service. All students in the lower school, grades preschool through five, participated in the program, which was directed by Lower School Music Teacher Alana Parker. The program featured all 36 first graders as angels. ...READ MORE

3rd Graders Celebrate Family Traditions

Braeden Dang from Liz Glover's third grade class at Ocean City Elementary School recently shared his family's tradition of making soft pretzels on a rainy day. His presentation tied in to his class' reading theme of "Celebrating Traditions." ...READ MORE

We Remember Those Who Have Passed

William Alton McCarthy BERLIN - William Alton McCarthy died on Dec. 5, 2008 after a brief illness at his home in Towson. Born in Pimlico, Md., he was the son of Frank DeSales McCarthy and Elizabeth Ludwig McCarthy. He was predeceased by his brother, Donald McCarthy; sister, Ethel McCarthy Meyer; and sister, Mary McCarthy Hill. He was raised and lived in Pimlico where he attended Saint Ambrose and later Calvert Hall High School and graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore. After studying to...READ MORE

Friday, January 2--Economic Guru Forecasts Benefits From Wallops In '09

BERLIN - The local economy could see a significant, immediate boost from a multi-billion dollar NASA initiative out of Wallops Island Spaceport to put 20 metric tons of space station supplies into orbit over the next several years.   The next seven years will see eight space resupply flights take off from Wallops Island Spaceport after Orbital Sciences Corporation of Virginia won a $1.9 billion contract to ferry supplies to the International Space Station after the retirement of...READ MORE

Friday, January 2--Prosecutor Reflects On Four Homicides In 6 Months

SNOW HILL - With a whirlwind four-month period winding down, during which four murder cases with seven different defendants were prosecuted, Worcester County State's Attorney Joel Todd this week caught his breath long enough to reflect on the unprecedented case load and the satisfaction with which his office handled it. In the first six months of 2008, there were four homicides in otherwise quiet Worcester County, which typically sees its fair share of crime, but rarely, if ever, sees the sheer...READ MORE

Friday, January 2--Resort Hotel's Solar Panels In Place

OCEAN CITY - The solar panels that sit atop Park Place hotel have been fully operational for over a week and already they are making an impact. Hotel Manager Todd Berger said that the project, which cost roughly $100,000, has not only made the hotel greener, but has also started to turn a few heads around town. 'This really is forward thinking and people are starting to take notice. For a small family-owned and operated property to take on a venture like this is huge in spreading the word on how...READ MORE

County's Unemployment Rate Tops 11%

BERLIN - Shrinking 'help wanted' columns in local newspapers and 'closed for the winter' signs outside of businesses are normal for Worcester County in the fall, but no one expected to see Worcester's unemployment rate hit 11.2 percent in November. The November rate is 4 percentage points higher than the 7.2 percent unemployment rate posted in November 2007. Nearly 3,000 Worcester County residents were out of work in November, according to the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and...READ MORE

Delegate Eyes Mediator Role In Slots Tension

BERLIN - With most of the communities likely to be impacted by the arrival of slots in Worcester County already jockeying for their slice of the pie, tensions are growing before a plan has been announced and it will likely fall on the local delegation in Annapolis to sort out the mess. Two months after voters across Maryland and in Worcester approved slots in a statewide referendum, how to allocate the potential spoils is already driving a wedge between the county and its communities likely to...READ MORE

Details Emerge On Center Upgrade Process

OCEAN CITY - The devil might be in the details about whether the City Council will approve the proposed $5 million upgrade to the Convention Center, but there seems to be one facet that has been overlooked until now. City Solicitor Guy Ayres recently sent a letter to the Mayor and City Council informing them that even if they decide to approve the first phase of the upgrade/expansion, they would need to ask Worcester County to amend a 1996 resolution capping the amount of money that Ocean City...READ MORE

Economic Woes Expected To Keep Legislators Busy

BERLIN - With the calendar flipping over to 2009 this week, it isn't too early to take at look at some of the issues facing the Maryland General Assembly when it convenes in two weeks, and with a staggering state and national economy, huge budget deficits, layoffs and furloughs, state lawmakers will certainly have a lot on their plate this year. Delegate James Mathias (D-38B) this week reflected on some the issues of state and local importance his colleagues will undertake when the General...READ MORE

Finances, Slots To Dominate County Agenda In '09

BERLIN - Worcester County will face hard economic times in 2009, but the budget stresses are not the only issues facing the county, with the comprehensive rezoning to complete, preparations to make for slot machine gambling and a flat real estate market sending a ripple effect throughout the local economy. The County Commissioners have been predicting that the 2009-2010 fiscal year will bring even worse economic fortune to the county, as real estate sales and values decline and county revenues,...READ MORE

Agents Report Interest In Berlin Housing Market

BERLIN - While some in Berlin are worried that their property may be assessed this year at a lower value than previous years, local experts say the market is actually returning to a normal level after a price boom and that recent higher prices were anomalies. 'In the boom, that was not a normal market,' said Jenny Sheppard, associate broker with Sheppard Realty. 'I think the market has normalized.' Any drop in property value is relative, Sheppard said, with property owners shocked by the...READ MORE

Berlin Comp Plan Draft Headed To Town Planner

BERLIN - Berlin should see a draft of the new town comprehensive plan in February after waiting years for a viable version of the new document. Consultant Tim Bourcier, of engineers Davis Bowen and Friedel, who is writing the plan, said this week that the draft of the entire plan would be turned in to the Berlin Planning Commission for preliminary review in February. Final review by the Berlin Mayor and Council would then take place in March. After approval by the town council, the plan would be...READ MORE

Broken Pipe Damages Boardwalk Condos

OCEAN CITY - Despite mild weather in the resort earlier this week, winter's cold blast is still causing problems in some areas, including a high-rise condominium in downtown Ocean City where a pipe froze and burst last week causing serious damage to dozens of units. On Dec. 23, the Ocean City Fire Company responded to the Belmont Towers on the Boardwalk at Dorchester Street for a triggered fire alarm. First responders found no fire, but learned a pipe had burst on the building's ninth floor,...READ MORE

Easton Lawyer Appointed To Fill Vacant Court Seat

BERLIN - A major reshuffling of seats on the benches of the state's highest courts for the first appellate district, which includes Worcester County and much of the lower Eastern Shore, was completed last week when Gov. Martin O'Malley appointed Christopher B. Kehoe to the Court of Special Appeals. The first domino fell when Berlin resident and long-time Court of Appeals Judge Dale Cathell, a Worcester County favorite son, two years ago reached the mandatory age for retirement, setting in motion...READ MORE

Fisheries Task Force Seeks Stronger Protection Laws

OCEAN CITY - Charged with developing new strategies to better manage Maryland's valuable fishery resources, the state's Task Force on Fisheries Management last week released its 2008 legislative report offering over 30 specific recommendations on habitat preservation and restoration across the state including the waters around Worcester County. Gov. Martin O'Malley last November established the 17-member task force comprised of scientists, recreational anglers, watermen, charter boat captains...READ MORE

High Court Denies School Board's Relief Request

SNOW HILL - It was three strikes, you're out this week for the Worcester County Board of Education when the state's highest court denied a last minute effort to provide relief from paying the $1.1 million settlement lost to a private contractor in a civil suit over a dispute about work done at the new Ocean City Elementary School until the pending appeal is exhausted. This week's ruling by the state's Court of Appeals upholds decisions made by two lower courts in the last few weeks concerning...READ MORE

New Councilman Maintains Role Of Quiet Researcher

OCEAN CITY - Doug Cymek might be the newest voice on the City Council, but don't expect to hear him make a big fuss about it. Cymek, who gained a seat at City Hall in his third try, has been the quietest of the council members in his first few months since the election, opting rather to fly below the radar and concentrate on researching issues that faces the town. 'I guess that's kind of in my nature to be inquisitive being in the P.I. business,' said Cymek, a private investigator for the last...READ MORE

Route 50 Bridge Stuck Up For Hours

OCEAN CITY - The traffic headache that was supposed to last six hours during Monday's Route 50 Bridge malfunction consequently only lasted three. According to Wayne Weichman of the Snow Hill division of the Maryland State Highway Administration, one of the four tail-locks, which bond the two moving parts of the drawbridge together, broke loose and caused the bridge to be stuck at two very different angles and disabling their ability to fit together. What ensued was three hours of backed up and...READ MORE

Some Bizarre News From 2008

OCEAN CITY - Throughout the course of each year, hundreds of criminals are arrested and prosecuted in the resort area for a wide variety of offenses ranging from the gravely serious to the downright silly, and 2008 was certainly no exception. Crime is rarely funny and often tragic, but there are those occasions when the perpetrators' actions are just so ridiculous they make for perfect 'Cops and Courts' section fodder and lively water cooler talk throughout the area. Here are some highlights...READ MORE

What Happens After OC's Winterfest Goes Dark

OCEAN CITY - Now that the lights have gone out, where do all the lights go? As the Winterfest of Lights pulled the plug on yet another year of widespread holiday 'oohs' and 'aahs' from onlookers both young and old, the arduous task of tearing down and storing over 100,000 lights and large displays that illuminate the town during the annual holiday celebration sits squarely on the shoulders of the John Sullivan, Calvin Ginnavan and Bruce Gibbs. According to City Manager Dennis Dare, Sullivan, who...READ MORE

Things I Like

Windy football games A drawer full of new batteries Clint Eastwood movies Staying close to home on New Year's Eve A dog running with a stick in its mouth When readers submit things they like A 60-degree day in the winter Looking at photos of my son's first Christmas Eating bad around the holidays A hot shower on a cold morning A house with old hardwood floors ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): It's a good time to take a much-needed break from your recent hectic schedule and spend some time in quieter surroundings. Important news could arrive early next week. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): The Taurean traits of reliability and thoroughness could be well-tested when decision-makers consider your proposals and/or requests. Be prepared to answer some probing questions. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): A sudden attack of boredom leaves you with some tasks undone....READ MORE

Munis Carry Risks And Opportunities

OCEAN CITY - While historically less volatile than stocks, bonds nevertheless have been affected by the turmoil in global economies. But lately some investors who fled equities have been giving muni bonds, with their tax-free advantages, a second look. Given current economic conditions, they want to know: Are munis safe? Michael Sullivan, Director of Municipal Marketing for Merrill Lynch, recommends focusing on quality. 'The time may be right to consider buying high-quality municipal bonds,...READ MORE