February 27, 2009

Powell Center Upgrade Approved

OCEAN CITY - The Ocean City Council may have provided a stimulus package of its own Tuesday, voting to move forward with plans to double the amount of exhibit space and add a 1,200-seat performing arts center at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. Although there are still some hoops for the town to jump through before the plans can become a 'work in progress', it appears that those plans have finally hit the mark, as the council voted 5-2, with Joe Hall and Margaret Pillas in opposition, to...READ MORE

Son Threatens To Burn Down Dad’s House

BERLIN - A Hebron man was arrested on the threat of arson charges this week after threatening to burn down his father's Berlin home after a domestic dispute on Sunday. Around 10 p.m. on Sunday, John Cialkowski IV, 18, of Hebron, reportedly contacted his father, John Cialkowski III, at his residence on Dolly Circle in Berlin by telephone and advised him 'he was going to burn his house to the ground,' according to police reports. The threat reportedly came after a domestic dispute over a child...READ MORE

We Remember Those Who Have Passed

John Paul Huber OCEAN CITY - John Paul Huber, age 76, died on Monday, Feb. 23, 2009 at his home in Ocean City. Born in New York, he was the son of the late John D. Huber and Marian Hartford Huber. He is survived by a son, Donald Huber; two daughters, Rhonda Huber, and Maureen Adamecz and her husband Ronald; two sisters, Mary Ann Schuchart and her husband Larry and Margaret Torchia and her husband Gildo; five grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; longtime family friend Diane Boone; and many...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

It was startling to hear City Hall is supporting alternative four of all the proposed Route 50 Bridge projects. Fortunately, this project will not be happening anytime soon, and there's plenty of time to evaluate this enormous project. It's worth pointing out this endorsed option received the most criticism from local people at the various public hearings held over the last few years. The proposal calls for a new four-lane bridge with a high-level fixed span connecting south of 1st Street above...READ MORE

OC Right To Go With Larger Project

A major decision, one that should have long-range ramifications for Ocean City and the surrounding area, was made at City Hall this week. Presented with a number of options for the expansion of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, the Ocean City Mayor and Council chose the most aggressive. It was the right decision. The option selected encloses the existing bayfront deck and expands it to the west and south, creating 20,000 square feet of new ballroom space, and converts the western...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

A Retirement Message From A Letter Carrier Editor: If you live from 82nd Street up to (but not thru) 94th Street, I've been your letter carrier for the past nine years. After 23 years with the post office, it's time for me to get out while I still have my good health and can enjoy myself a little more. This Saturday will be my last day. I've gotten to know many of you really well through the years, and it has been a real pleasure to see and talk with you on a regular basis. A lot of you I only...READ MORE

Decatur Hoops Teams Open Post-Season Play Tonight

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity basketball teams start post-season play tonight with the boys staying home for a game against Northeast of Anne Arundel County and the girls hitting the road for a first-round game against Reservoir. The state Class 3A-East region tournament seeds were announced this week with both Decatur teams getting rewarded for their late season surges. The Seahawk boys are the number-eight seed in the Class 3A-East region tournament and will host ninth-seeded Northeast of...READ MORE

Decatur Wrestlers Win Baysides Again

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity wrestling last weekend captured its sixth straight Bayside Conference tournament championship, sending seven wrestlers to the finals in their respective weight classes and winning two individual titles. The Seahawks finished with an impressive 249 team points in the Bayside Conference tournament to easily coast to its sixth straight title. Easton was second with 204 points, followed by North Caroline (191), and St. Michael's and Queen Anne's (162) each. Decatur...READ MORE

Mini-Golf Tournament on Tap

OCEAN CITY- The 2nd Annual March Madness Mini Golf Tournament benefiting Play It Safe 2009 is set to return to Old Pro Golf on 68th Street in Ocean City on Monday, March 9. The O.C. Drug and Alcohol Prevention Committee is sponsoring the second annual March Madness Mini Golf Tournament this year and the proceeds will be dedicated to the Play It Safe program. Funds raised by the tournament will help with the celebration of the Play It Safe program's 20th year. The format features four players per...READ MORE

Seahawks Make Splash at States

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity swim teams made a strong showing in their first-ever state tournament last weekend with the girls finishing sixth out of a field of 26 Class 3A-2A-1A teams and the boys placing in several events to finish in 17th place. Two weeks ago, the Decatur boys and girls varsity swim teams came in a close second in the Class 3A-2A-1A East regionals with 262 total team points to advance several swimmers to the state championship meet last weekend. This year marked only the...READ MORE

Where Are They Now? Latra Collick

The following is the latest installment of an occasional series about the progress of standout local student-athletes who have gone on succeed at the next level in their college careers. BERLIN- After finishing as runner-up for two straight years in the NCAA Division II wrestling championship tournament, former Stephen Decatur High School standout student-athlete Latra Collick is making a strong run at getting back to the finals this year and possibly taking the next step. Collick, who recorded...READ MORE

Friday, February 27--Berlin Delays EDU Policy Nod

BERLIN - A debate over payments for wastewater capacity and capacity allocation time limits will carry over to next month, after the Berlin Mayor and Council voted to postpone a decision on new wastewater regulations until the next meeting, on March 9, so that a decision could be made by the full council. Council members Dean Burrell and Lisa Hall were absent Monday night. 'Everyone be prepared to vote next time,' Mayor Gee Williams said. Under the proposed regulation, builders would pay 10...READ MORE

Friday, February 27--Food Tax Drop Clinches Expansion

OCEAN CITY - You can't deny how far a penny has taken the town of Ocean City, and the town collectively is hoping that half of that will take it just as far. The decision to lower the 1-percent food and beverage tax by a half percent was seemingly the clinching clause in the motion that was approved in a 5-2 vote by City Council on Tuesday, approving plans to expand the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. 'You got me on board with the lowering of the food tax by a half percent,' said Councilman...READ MORE

Friday, February 27--Prosecutor Seeks Max For Killer's Probation Violation

BERLIN - The perpetrator of one of the most heinous crimes in Ocean City history, Jermaine Wright, released a little over a year ago after serving just seven years of an amended 15-year sentence, could be headed back to jail for a long stretch after a conviction on theft charges in Wicomico County two weeks ago. Wright was arrested last May on theft and theft conspiracy charges after getting caught stealing scrap metal from Reynolds Excavating in Eden. The arrest came just four months after...READ MORE

Friday, February 27--Resort Pulls Plug On Inlet Lights

OCEAN CITY - The Winterfest of Lights will be dark on one end of town this year in Ocean City. At Tuesday's Recreation and Parks Committee meeting, plans were laid out to remove the lights and decorations at the Inlet parking lot this year, saving the town upwards of $30,000. The trimming of the Inlet lights saves the town $25,000 with the additional $5,000 saved by the decision to not decorate the lampposts on Baltimore Avenue with Christmas wreaths as they have in years past. Council President...READ MORE

Anglers Criticize Data Used To Support Flounder Limits

OCEAN CITY - Citing severely flawed catch data, local anglers this week protested the first season closure for summer flounder in several years in the resort proposed by Maryland fisheries officials for the coming year in an effort to bring the state's catch totals within the prescribed target number. According to state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials, the recreational summer flounder fishery in Maryland, which is almost exclusively in the coastal areas along the Atlantic...READ MORE

Little Stimulus Boost Expected For County Schools

BERLIN - School systems across Maryland are expected to get a fiscal shot in the arm with Governor Martin O'Malley's announcement late last week of $720 million in federal stimulus package funding for public education in the state, but just how much trickles down to Worcester County remains uncertain. Last Friday, O'Malley announced an investment of $720 million in funding for Maryland's public education system from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus package, approved last...READ MORE

OC Pharmacist, Realtor Face Fraud Charges

OCEAN CITY - An Ocean City couple was arrested this week on a nine-count federal indictment including charges of bank fraud, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, identity theft and others alleging an eight-year pattern of utilizing credit accounts of deceased relatives to purchase vacations, luxury goods and services and furnishings for their two resort homes totaling thousands of dollars. U.S. District Attorney for Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein on Tuesday announced Ocean City resident Joel Swartz, 65,...READ MORE

OC Supports Most Costly, Criticized Bridge Option

OCEAN CITY - On the condition that the old Route 50 Bridge would be removed entirely, the Ocean City Mayor and Council gave its blessing to the State Highway Administration's (SHA) recommended plan for a new one. Though the project has no funding and it probably won't happen for at least another decade, City Council gave it's blessing to the most costly and drastic plan to improve the Route 50 Bridge, which would see a 45-foot fixed span bridge go up and the existing Harry W. Kelley bridge torn...READ MORE

Schools Hope Parent Input Derails Cuts

BERLIN - The OC Stars are history if school budget cuts remain at the current level, Ocean City Elementary School (OCES) Principal Irene Kordick warned parents in a recent letter describing how the school would be affected by budget reductions. Kordick had no problem admitting the letter was an attempt to spark a lobbying effort among parents. 'What we're encouraging parents to do is to contact our County Commissioners,' Kordick said. 'We're hoping that the County Commissioners will look at it...READ MORE

Berlin Seeking To Use Fair EDU Distribution Policy

BERLIN - With wastewater capacity available for new projects for the first time in several years, Berlin is exploring a new process to distribute the previously scarce commodity equally between commercial and residential interests. The capacity management plan discussed Monday night at the Berlin Mayor and Council meeting assigns equal numbers of EDUs, in this case 91, to each of the five categories, residential, commercial, industrial zoning, the historic district and residential infill, and...READ MORE

Ocean City Council News Briefs

OCEAN CITY - In 'the briefs' this week, ideas seemed to come from all directions. One idea was trying to get to the front of the line, while another was hoping to address the need to help get folks out of dodge in an emergency. The other had something to do with flying under the radar, or at the very least, keeping them on the radar screen. Berlin Performing Arts Center Snubbed Again With the big story of the week being the approved expansion of the Ocean City Convention Center, which will...READ MORE

Sewer Plant Improvements On Track

BERLIN - Slow behind-the-scenes progress is being made on the expansion of and improvements to Berlin's wastewater treatment plant, and the process is still on track, according to the town of Berlin. The Berlin Mayor and Council recently approved a letter to the state asking for continued permission to discharge treated effluent to Hudson's Branch in the winter months, necessary to operate the plant. The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) has restricted Berlin's surface water discharge...READ MORE

Town Puts Meeting Audio On Website

BERLIN - More transparency and citizen access has become the watchword for Berlin's town government, which will soon offer audio recordings of council and other meetings after the fact, and which has recently begun uploading town council meeting packets to the Berlin website. 'This is just another effort to get the people involved in town government,' said Berlin administrator Tony Carson. The agenda packets offer the agenda, minutes from the previous meeting, text of ordinances or regulations...READ MORE

Trade Expo Seminars Take On Green Feel

OCEAN CITY - The 35th Annual Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Trade Expo, set for the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on March 8-9, will showcase how businesses can go green. Organizers have partnered with DLITE, Delmarva Low Impact Tourism Experiences and EcoVentures International to line up experts to educate attendees on what it means to go green.  In addition to the green seminars, there are other educational seminars planned.  Here's the line-up: Sunday, March 8 1 p.m.  'Green...READ MORE

Truck Overturns, Blocking Ocean City Access

OCEAN CITY - The morning rush hour, such as it is in the resort area in mid-February, was snarled on Monday when a box truck overturned on the Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge, closing the span in both directions for several hours. Around 8:30 a.m. on Monday, a Carvel Ice Cream truck bound for grocery stores in Ocean City overturned on the Route 50 bridge, directly over the drawbridge section of the span. The truck ended up on its side with the cab facing to the south almost reaching the south side...READ MORE

What The Business Community Said

OCEAN CITY - Here are some of the things that were said both during and after the City Council's decision to upgrade the Roland E. Powell Convention Center with the $10.4 million 'Option A.' 'I think we need to do this right away, because we are hurting as a business community. Business in Ocean City has changed drastically in the winter. We need customers year round, the season is too short, and we can't make it.' Bill Gibbs, owner Dough Roller Restaurants 'Is it going to bring net gain, or is...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Back of the bag 410-250-3337 130 St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, Feb. 27: Lower Case Blues Saturday, Feb. 28: Tom Larsen Every Wednesday: Open Mic Hosted By Tungsten Groove Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, Feb. 27: Electric Company Saturday, Feb. 28: Crowded Outhouse Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums 410-524-1000 on the beach, 118th St. Friday, Feb. 27: DJ Rupe, 7-10 p.m. Clarion Hotel 410-524-3535 10100 Coastal Hwy.  Friday, Feb. 27...READ MORE

See Who Was Where and When

A spotlight on the local and regional bar and restaurant scene ...READ MORE

People in Society

Neighbors Helping One Another Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

My Thoughts

It's the way it is, but it's stupid. Old people who have only a few years to live drive as if they were going to live forever. They even walk, talk and eat as if they had a thousand tomorrows. Now kids in their late teens know there is no tomorrow. They haven't time to abide speed limits or stop signs. Tonight's party is the last of a lifetime. And any dinner that is time consuming must be avoided at all cost. Even their music (?) is in a hurry. They don't walk the Boardwalk or a mall, they...READ MORE

A Week In Business

Scholarships Awarded OCEAN CITY - The Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association-sponsored scholarships were awarded during the February dinner meeting last week at the Princess Royale Hotel. Diane Redman received the Kate Bunting Wor-Wic Community College Memorial Scholarship, named after one of the founding members of the OCHMRA. Michelle Sprague, a hard worker and student in pursuit of employment in the hospitality industry, received the OCHMRA Ken Barnett Memorial Scholarship. ...READ MORE

Finding Retirement Income Today

OCEAN CITY - During a recent Outlook 2009 Webcast, a panel of financial experts took questions from Merrill Lynch clients. The following exchange is especially timely for investors who are nearing or in retirement and who need the income from their portfolios. Q: I'm retired, and my IRA has lost significant value during the past year. I rely on this account for income. Does it make sense to stay in the markets•€'and are there safe, income-producing investments I can hold in my IRA? Richard...READ MORE

SDHS Lifesavers Jr. Red Cross Club's ongoing Global Outreach

Stephen Decatur High School's Decatur Lifesavers Jr. Red Cross Club members have had an active club schedule so far this year. Above, club members take a break from their Global Outreach, writing greeting cards for a military unit based in Bagdad. Pictured, from left, are Madelyn Justice, Katt Hotz, Taylor Blazer, Leslie Hurley, Catelin Geiser, Sydney Waters, Lauren Cosgriff, Jenna Kramer, Lindsey Bankert, Rosa Navarra and, back, advisors Ryan Cowder and Jason Konyar. ...READ MORE

BIS Introduces Orchestra Program

After two years as an After-School program, Berlin Intermediate School and music teacher Lisa Adams introduced its orchestra program into the regular school day last year. Fourth, fifth and sixth graders can choose orchestra as a special area class. As part of the program this year, Dr. Jeffrey Schoyen, conductor of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra, invited the classes to come to Salisbury to experience a dress rehearsal of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra. At the dress rehearsal, Schoyen is...READ MORE

OC Elementary Celebrates 100th Day of School

Sofia Emm and Remy Trader, students from  Bess Cropper's second grade at Ocean City Elementary School, celebrated the 100th day of school by putting together 100-piece puzzles. ...READ MORE

1st Graders Celebrate President's Day

Windy Phillips' first grade class celebrated Presidents' Day by creating Fraction Flags and reading multiple fiction and non-fiction books. Some of the books the class read were Duck for President, The Presidency, Arthur Meets the President, The First Lady of the United States, and My Senator and Me. All the books read were about American presidents, government and American symbols. Above, Weston Randolph is pictured with his creation. ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep 5th Graders Participate in National 20-20 Challenge

Students in Worcester's fifth grade are participating in the National Association of Independent School's 20-20 Challenge. Together with a school in Hollywood, Calif., they are taking on environmental issues related to the environment and water supplies. Lower School Technology Teacher Erika Phillips, Ocean City is taking the lead, along with Grade 5 teachers Kimberly Law and Alayne Shockley, in helping to guide Worcester's students through this global education experience. Dr. John Groutt,...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Student Wins First Random Act of Kindness Award

Mark Wilson, left, Seaford, was the first Worcester Prep student to receive the school's Random Acts of Kindness 'Caught You Being Kind' Award. With jim is Jan Calloway, Berlin, an advisor to the Random Acts of Kindness Club. The awards were initiated this term as a part of National Random Acts of Kindness Week and are given to students who are recognized for serving others through thoughtful acts and words. ...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

As I see it, the life of a parent is all about adjustments. Every day there's something new, both for the parents and the child. It's as if whenever he learns something, we have to become skilled at dealing with it. With each significant change in his life, we are forced to adapt. It all happens so fast. As he grows and seeks to examine more of the world, there's no other choice but to get on board and roll with the changes as soon as possible. Yeah, this parenthood thing is on-site training to...READ MORE

Things I Like

Watching my son feed himself Any of the breakfast meats Leaving a doctor's office Observing a bird building a nest Driving with the sunroof open Looking forward to the grass growing again Any cream-based soup with seafood A tree that keeps its leaves all year A year long ago etched into a sidewalk A clock on an old building The movie, 'To Kill A Mockingbird' ...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Take time from your busy schedule to check out what's going on around you. You might find that someone has been secretly trying to pull the wool over those beautiful Sheep's eyes. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Once again, the Bovine's boldness pays off in uncovering the source of a disturbing workplace situation. Your personal life calls for patience, as a certain matter plays itself out. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Forget about going all out to impress someone in...READ MORE

AGH Receives $15,000 Matching Grant

Atlantic General Hospital recently received a $15,000 matching grant from the Arthur W. Perdue Foundation for the expansion and renovation of the Atlantic Health Center. Pictured, from left, are Atlantic General Hospital Foundation Chairman Todd Hershey, Foundation Vice Chair Laura Deeley Bren and Jim Leighton, Foundation member and Senior Vice President of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Perdue Farms ...READ MORE

Three Worcester County Winners at 2008 Poetry Contest

The Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland sponsored the 2008 Poetry Contest for children from special education and children from kindergarten through ninth grade. The theme was 'Nature's Song'. Three of the winners are from Worcester County and were sponsored by the Worcester County Garden Club. Winners from Worcester Preparatory School were third grader Abby Bright and seventh grader Emma Richardson, who are pictured above with County Garden Club President Marion Novack, Club Vpast President...READ MORE

Diakonia Receives Donations from Women's Council of Realtors

Pictured above from left is Diakonia Executive Director Claudia Nagle with Delmarva Chapter of Women's Council of Realtors Community Service Committee member Della Wilson and Committee Chair Maura Vlachos, who dropped off a part of their ongoing donations to the shelter. ...READ MORE