July 24, 2009

Thursday, July 30-Local Killed Trying To Cross Route 50

BERLIN - Tragedy struck this week when an elderly local woman was killed in a two-vehicle accident on Route 50 on Tuesday afternoon. Around 2:20 p.m., Maryland State Police responded to a serious motor vehicle collision on eastbound Route 50 just west of Jerry Mack Rd. The investigation revealed a 2006 Toyota operated by Mary Rogers Cavey, 78, of Berlin, had attempted to enter the eastbound lanes of Route 50 in an attempt to cross over to the westbound lanes and pulled into the path of a 2007...READ MORE

Wednesday, July 29-Explosive Device Causes Beach Scare

OCEAN CITY - A section of the beach was evacuated yesterday afternoon after a visitor recovered a suspicious device believed to have explosive capabilities. On Tuesday, at approximately 1:50 p.m., members of the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) and the town's Fire and Bomb Squad responded to 40th Street and the beach, in reference to a report of a pipe bomb. According to police, the suspicious device was located by a citizen and reported to the Ocean City Beach Patrol, which then called...READ MORE

Tuesday, July 28-Mounted Cop Helps Apprehend Assault Suspect

OCEAN CITY - An alert mounted Ocean City police officer was credited this week for helping colleagues arrest a man charged with assaulting three people with a knife in the downtown area. On Friday, July 24, at approximately 2:08 a.m., Ocean City police officers responded to the area of 2nd Street and Baltimore Avenue in reference to a reported assault with a knife. Ocean City Communications was able to broadcast a description of the suspect over the police radio. As officers began responding to...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): Don't be surprised if, in spite of your well-made plans, something goes awry. But don't worry. Your knowledge of the facts plus your Arian charm will help you work it out. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): A personal relationship seems to be demanding more than you feel you're able to give. Best advice: Confront the issue. You could find the situation surprisingly easy to work through. GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Resist being pressured into meeting your self-imposed...READ MORE

Monday, July 27-C-SPAN Bus Coming To OC

OCEAN CITY - The C-SPAN Civics Bus is on the road across the nation and including a stop in Ocean City tomorrow afternoon. The 45-foot mobile production studio and demonstration center is visiting schools and other community venues to share C-SPAN's education and civic resources with students, teachers and civics-minded people across the country. During its visit to Ocean City, the bus will travel to the Convention Center parking lot. Residents will be able to take tours of the bus from...READ MORE

Faces in Places

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

Fed Judge Allows County Room Tax Suit To Continue

BERLIN - A federal judge this week again rejected a motion to dismiss a civil suit filed in January by the County Commissioners against a host of Internet-based travel booking companies seeking what could be millions of dollars in unpaid hotel room taxes, allowing the case to continue to move forward. In January, attorneys for the county commissioners filed suit in U.S. District Court naming 14 individual defendants, all under the umbrella of four major Internet travel booking companies...READ MORE

High Court Upholds Rape Conviction

BERLIN - A Maryland Court of Special Appeals judge this week upheld the conviction of a Berlin man sentenced in January 2008 to 40-plus years in jail for the first-degree rape and assault of his long-time girlfriend and mother of his child, denying the convicted felon's appeal of the case on two major fronts. In December 2007, a Worcester County jury took just 45 minutes to return guilty verdicts on Preston Lewis Whaley, Jr., 45, on first-degree assault and first-degree rape charges for an...READ MORE

Missing Persons Agencies Plan Rally In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY - For the second straight year, Ocean City will play host to a multi-agency rally of sorts for missing and unidentified persons in Maryland with a public awareness event planned on the south end of the Boardwalk scheduled all day tomorrow, Saturday, July 25. A coalition of Maryland missing persons organizations, advocates, law enforcement agencies and families of the missing will gather on the Boardwalk tomorrow all day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. in an effort to raise awareness about the...READ MORE

Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY - In the brief this week, there were some reports of brown water in the mid-town area of Ocean City and a Boardwalk body piercing company questioned the ethics of several others. Brown In The Water? Despite reports from the mid-town area of Ocean City in late June complaining of 'brown spots' in the drinking water, City Manager Dennis Dare says that all is well and the problem has been handled. In sporadic areas of Ocean City, ranging from 50th to 80th streets over the course of...READ MORE

1st Annual Branch Kreppel Memorial Underway

OCEAN CITY- The 1st Annual Branch Kreppel Blue Marlin Tournament, named for a beloved local angler and diver who passed away unexpectedly last fall, is underway off the coast of the resort for the first of three fishing days today. As an avid diver and owner of Diver Services, Kreppel was a popular man around the marinas in the resort area and often kept the local sportfishing fleet up and running. He passed away in November and the first-ever blue marlin tournament in his name, which got...READ MORE

5th Annual Kids Classic a Big Success

OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Marlin Club's 5th Annual Kids Classic was a big success last week with hundreds of young anglers catching all sizes and species of fish both inshore and offshore all for the benefit of the Wish-A-Fish Foundation. The annual event is open to all young anglers age 19 or younger and takes place in the waters in and around the resort area from the back bays to the ocean. With several categories both inshore and offshore, there were plenty of opportunities for all of the...READ MORE

Lady Anglers to Get Moment in Spotlight

OCEAN CITY- Another one of the newest additions to the summer-long offshore fishing tournament season, the 1st Annual Ocean City Marlin Club Ladies' Tournament kicks off next week with a captain's meeting and registration on Thursday and the fishing action set to get going on Friday and Saturday. The tournament is the Marlin Club's first-ever ladies only event and is a complement to the club's other tournaments throughout the summer. Essentially, it is considered a boat tournament, meaning...READ MORE

Sammy Golf Tournament Next Week

OCEAN CITY- The 5th Annual Sammy Wilkinson Memorial Golf Tournament is set for next Friday, July 31 at the Newport Bay course of the Ocean City Golf Club in South Point. The Sammy Wilkinson Memorial Foundation was created as part of the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS) worldwide initiative to lend a hand to countries around the world that are unable to provide quality sports programs for children. All funds raised through the Sammy Wilkinson Memorial fund are earmarked for the Game On!...READ MORE

Terps Coach to Direct Wrestling Camp

OCEAN CITY- The Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department will host its first-ever wrestling camp during the first week of August and will have a high profile coach on hand to serve as the camp's director. The town's Recreation and Parks Department is excited to be offering its first wrestling camp ever under the direction of University of Maryland Coach Kerry McCoy. The camp is scheduled for the week of August 3-6 at Northside Park in Ocean City from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each day. Before coming...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

Angler Restaurant 410-289-7424 , Talbot St. & The Bay Saturday, July 25 & Sunday, July 26: Jeff Miller Every Sunday: Dock Party with DJ Mike C Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 , 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Every Friday: DJ Wood Saturday, July 25: Retro Lex Every Sunday: Locals' Party with DJ BK Tuesday, July 28: Aaron Howell Wednesday, July 30: DJ Wax CaribBean bar & grill 410-289-0837 , Just off the Boards on 2nd St. Friday, July 24: Dave Sherman, 1-5 p.m.; Pompous Pie Duo,...READ MORE

People in Society

What's Happening Throughout the Local Neighborhoods? ...READ MORE

Split Vote Keeps Scoot Coupes Sidelined

OCEAN CITY - There will not be a happy ending for the Gakurias family this year, as scoot coupes will not be allowed on any local roadway after the City Council killed an ordinance that would have allowed them on city owned roads. The council took steps to get more restrictive on one hot button issue, helmets on scooters, on Monday, but feared that getting less restrictive on another, scoot coupes, would be hypocritical or counterproductive. Much to Councilman's Jim Hall's chagrin, the ordinance...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

It's only been a little more than a month since the Ocean City Air Show came and went, but planning has already begun for next year's event. A date has been set. Actually the Mayor and Council approved the weekend of June 5-6, 2010 for next year's third edition before this year's show even took place. On the OC Air Show's Facebook page, there has been quite a bit of comments posted regarding the administrator's question of who should headline the event next year. In what is certainly not a...READ MORE

Slots Details Lead To Some Questions

A lot was revealed at last week's slots meeting at Ocean Downs and one thing was made certain - nobody knows what to do about Route 589 and it will be sometime before anything is decided. What we did learn from track owner William Rickman last week was his short- and long-range plans to overhaul the facility and how he plans to incorporate about 800 video lottery terminals into his operation. The immediate plan is to temporarily put 200 gaming machines in the existing indoor clubhouse. That...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Shore Heroes Needed Editor: Recently my granddaughter came to me and asked if I would help her with a school project where she was asked to write a paper about heroes. It seems that she had read a story that referred to a few of my fellow workers and I as heroes for some work we had done a number of years ago. I explained to her how uncomfortable that made me for we were just doing our job. Our discussion then touched on a lot of different scenarios from super heroes as portrayed in comics with...READ MORE

Plane Crash On Route 113

SNOW HILL - State and federal aviation officials were in Worcester County this week investigating a plane crash that resulted in the aircraft sitting in the median of Route 113 just north of Pocomoke. Around 12:20 p.m. last Sunday, Maryland State Police troopers responded to the area of Route 113 near Groton Rd. just north of Pocomoke for a reported plane crash. Upon arrival, troopers discovered a Hawk ultra-light airplane crashed in the median of the highway. The pilot, later identified as...READ MORE

Friday, July 24--County Okay With Berlin Annexing Old Tyson Property

SNOW HILL - With one caveat, Worcester County elected officials signed off on the proposed annexation of part of the old Tyson Chicken Plant into Berlin town limits. During their meeting Tuesday, the County Commissioners made sure to note that the rear boundary of the annexation, which would bring 3.9 acres of a multi-acre property into Berlin, currently bisects the corner of an outbuilding. County staff recommended the line be moved to either include or exclude the building or that the...READ MORE

Friday, July 24--Cowger Irritated County Chose Non-County Business For Cars

SNOW HILL - An order for five police cars stirred some controversy among the County Commissioners Tuesday, with one saying the business ought to be kept within the county. The Worcester County Sheriff's Office requested five new police cars early this month, hoping to get the new vehicles through state of Maryland police car supplier Hertrich Fleet Services. The request was prompted by an offer to sell 2010 Crown Victoria Police Interceptors at the 2009 price. To get that price, the county must...READ MORE

Friday, July 24--OCPD Narcotics Probe Breaks Up Cocaine Operation

OCEAN CITY - A nearly two-year multi-agency investigation into the flow of cocaine from the southwest to Ocean City resulted in the conviction on drug trafficking charges in Texas of a Berlin man, who was sentenced to five years in jail earlier this month. In early July, Erick Hinojosa Zavala, 29, was found guilty by a Jefferson County, Texas jury of drug trafficking and was sentenced to five years in jail. Zavala's arrest and ultimate conviction came after a joint investigation carried out by...READ MORE

Friday, July 24--Resident Proudly Recalls Work On Moon Walk

BERLIN - Area residents and citizens all over the country this week celebrated the 40th anniversary of man's first steps on the moon back in July 1969, but one local man watched the seemingly endless grainy frames of first Neil Armstrong and later Buzz Aldrin taking their 'giant leaps for mankind' with a sense of personal pride in the relative ease with which they bounded around the lunar surface. Ocean Pines resident Sam Mattingly, now 82, played a significant role in NASA's manned space flight...READ MORE

County Students Continue To Post Improved Test Scores

NEWARK - Worcester school officials say Maryland State Assessment (MSA) test scores show that Worcester County schools are achieving long-term success. The MSA results released this week during the Tuesday Worcester County Board of Education meeting show that Worcester County's students scored 91.4 percent proficient or advanced in reading. Math scores were similar, with 89.9 percent of county students scoring proficient or advanced. Both scores increased slightly over last year. The Maryland...READ MORE

County, Resort Differ On Bridge's Future

SNOW HILL - The north parallel bridge proposal, also know as Alternative 5A, received unanimous support Tuesday from the Worcester County Commissioners as the Route 50 bridge replacement option that would have the least impact on residences and businesses in the Ocean City area. The commissioners voted on their chosen bridge replacement during a meeting with Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) officials this week. Their decision is not the same as the proposal favored by the Ocean City...READ MORE

Merchants Irked By Council's Bow To ACLU Concerns

OCEAN CITY - Apparently, change is not the type of thing that some Boardwalk merchants believe in, as a summer of tough times and new rules has left some storeowners fit to be tied. A week after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the town of Ocean City came to a verbal agreement to no longer enforce and eventually amend the town law that prohibited any amplification used by street performers, merchants shot back, claiming that they are being treated unfairly and that all regulations...READ MORE

OC May Seize 65th Street Land

OCEAN CITY - Part of the town's long-term strategy seems to involve the acquisition of the land once home to the 65th Street Slide N' Ride, but the owners of the property have some plans of their own for the site and have told the town they have no intentions of selling. On Monday, the City Council moved forward in a 6-1 vote, with Margaret Pillas in opposition, with an ordinance that would allow the town to try to purchase the property through eminent domain proceedings and pay fair market...READ MORE

OC Scooter Helmet Law Near

OCEAN CITY - Helmets are just one step away from becoming the rule rather than just an option for anyone renting a scooter in Ocean City. The City Council unanimously passed the first reading of a new ordinance on Monday night requiring all occupants of rental scooters on city-owned streets to wear a helmet. Although the town cannot force riders to wear helmets on state-owned roadways, such as Coastal Highway, and portions of Baltimore Avenue (up to 15th Street), the town is allowed by state law...READ MORE

Authorities Seek Area Fugitive

BERLIN - A Berlin man wanted by U.S. Marshals remained at large as of late yesterday after a multi-agency manhunt throughout the area on Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, Worcester County Sheriff's deputies responded to a residence on Logtown Rd. in Berlin for a reported robbery. Sheriff's deputies responded to the scene and identified the suspect as Robert Lee Miller, Jr., 37, of Berlin, whose address is listed as Logtown Rd. and who also has a long history of run-ins with the law in Worcester...READ MORE

Car Wash Burglar Sentenced To 3 Years In Jail

OCEAN CITY - A New Jersey man arrested in June for breaking in to the same car wash business in Ocean City as many as eight times dating back to 2007 was found guilty this week in District Court of felony theft scheme and was sentenced to three years in jail. Joseph Edward Walthour, 40, of Willingboro, N.J., appeared in District Court in Ocean City on Tuesday to face 28 serious charges ranging from theft and burglary to malicious destruction of property. Walthour was found guilty of felony...READ MORE

County Drops High-Speed Partnership

SNOW HILL - A $12,000-a-month shortfall and significant operational issues have prompted Worcester County to sever its management agreement with the Lower Shore Broadband Cooperative (LSBC). The county took over management of LSBC in September 2008 after lightning strikes damaged five wireless towers, sending the cooperative into operational failure. A management team established by the county went to work to restore reliable service and get to a financial stability that would forestall...READ MORE

Things I Like

Friday evenings A hardback book every once in a while Seeing a license plate I've never seen before Placing a lot of recycling curbside A bottle of Corona Light with a lime Any sort of service with a smile A boat taking off after a no-wake zone Dipping my son's feet in the ocean A shower after a long beach day A dozen jumbo crabs that are worth the money Saturday evenings ...READ MORE

A Week In Business

Top Producers Honored OCEAN CITY - Prudential Carruthers has announced the top producers for the month of June. Honors by individual offices were West Ocean City, The Moran Team and Wilson Team; Ocean City, Joy Snyder; Ocean Pines, Michael Rutledge; and Salisbury, Bill Babkowski. Chef Inducted Into Honor Society OCEAN CITY - The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), inducted Gary Leach, certified executive chef, during a formal ceremony and...READ MORE

Fish N'OC

'Just one more drift•€¦' I kept telling myself. 'Why not?' I put my outboards in gear and headed back up current. Before I knew it, we reached the head of our drift, dropped baits in the water and before long two rods were bent over with fish. I looked at my first mate and smiled, we had two happy anglers on board with another pair of flounder headed to the deck. After a couple moments of unhooking and picture taking, we dropped the flatties back in the water and watched them dive down to...READ MORE

Retirement Watch: Revisit Bond Strategy

OCEAN CITY - Though the bear market in stocks has gotten most of the attention, the financial crisis wreaked havoc on bond investments as well. Treasury securities, whose backing by the U.S. government makes them a reliable choice for mitigating portfolio risk during volatile times, did very well in 2008, but virtually every other kind of bond suffered losses, with the lowest-quality bonds generally faring worst. Now that it appears that the biggest risks for the economy may have passed, we...READ MORE

Local Man Wins 42-inch Plasma TV

Ron Belfont of Perdue Farms recently received a 42-inch Panasonic Plasma TV and Sony Sound System as the winner of the grand prize drawing at United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore's annual Anchor Society Celebration. PNC Bank donated the TV and sound system to honor United Way's most generous donors. Above, Belfont is pictured with the United Way's Aaron Reid. ...READ MORE

Sparky Teaches Kids About Fire Safety

Brigid Bishop, Caitlyn Hoen and Baylor Hoen gives Sparky the fire safety dog a big hug. Sparky and Ocean City's fire safety house helped members of the Ocean City Fire Department teach children at The Children's Book Garden storytime about fire safety. ...READ MORE

Bayside Dedicates Audrey Cooper Magnolia Tree

Doug Brown of Carl M. Freeman Companies and Audrey Cooper stand by the recently installed sign at Bayside dedicating The Audrey Cooper Magnolia tree, which was planted nearly 70 years ago by Audrey Cooper ...READ MORE

Pine'eer Craft Club Prepares for Annual Arts and Crafts Festival

Pine'eer Craft Club members Liz Palmer, Mary Jolly and Luz Castillo prepare worker identification visors for the Annual Arts and Crafts Festival, set to be held Aug. 1, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in White Horse Park, Ocean Pines. The festival will feature over 100 vendors, a bake sale, and refreshments. ...READ MORE

Foreman Inducted to Greater OP-OC Kiwanis Club

Roy Foreman, pictured holding a musket used in Revolutionary War Re-enactments in which he participates as part of the First New Jersey Regiment, was recently inducted into the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City. ...READ MORE

OCDC Completes Another Downtown Facade Project

A recent façade project was completed in downtown Ocean City by Pickles Pub. Exterior work included extensive new woodwork, lighting, and signage. The business owners participated in the OCDC Commercial Façade Improvement Program, which assists downtown property and business owners with exterior improvements to their properties. ...READ MORE

Kiwanis Club of OP-OC holds its annual Pancake Breakfast

On July 11, the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City held its annual summer Pancake Breakfast to raise funds for its Scholarship Foundation, which awards scholarships annually to deserving local high school senior students to further their educations.  Pictured, from left, are Bill Long, Jim Spicknall, Roy Foreman, Steve Rosen, Phil Lassiter, Skip Dennig and Bud Breidenstein. ...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

He is a beach boy now. My wife, son and I had the opportunity to play tourists in Ocean City last weekend, including back-to-back days on the beach. What a delight. Busy schedules and my son's fondness for the pool have kept us from spending significant time on the beach so far this summer, despite the fact we live less than 10 miles from the coast. That came to an end last weekend, and Pam and I could not help but marvel at how far we had come and how much we had learned from our previous beach...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Jim Weldon Whittemore Jr OCEAN CITY - Jim Whittemore, affectionately referred to as Captain Jim, died Thursday, July 16, 2009 at PRMC in Salisbury after a valiant struggle with diabetes and heart disease. He was born in Washington, DC, to the late Jim Weldon Whittemore and Ruth Whitlock Whittemore. Jim (and his voice) were well known on the Lower Shore as he was the announcer for the Shorebirds, Ocean Downs Racetrack and Salisbury University Football, as well as previously working as a local...READ MORE