May 7, 2010

BOC Worcester Prep Player of the Week

This week's Bank of Ocean City Player of the Week award for the Worcester Prep girls' varsity lacrosse team went to Julian Greer. Pictured above, from left are Coach Yetive Delaney, Greer, and Bank of Ocean City assistant vice president Earl Conley. Each week, a donation is made by BOC to Worcester Prep's athletic department in the player of the week's name. Submitted photo  ...READ MORE

Bliss Salon/WOC Fitness Player of the Week

This week's final Bliss Salon-West Ocean City Fitness Stephen Decatur boys' varsity lacrosse Player of the Week award went to Brandon Terlizzi, who finished with four goals, grabbed 12 ground balls and won 65-percent of his face-offs in games against Bennett, Parkside and Kent Island. Pictured above, from left: Coach Jason Pylpczuk, Terlizzi and Head Coach Jason Macrides. Submitted photo  ...READ MORE

Decatur Closing in on 3rd Perfect Season

BERLIN- Decatur's men's varsity tennis team beat Snow Hill twice on back-to-back days last week to remain undefeated on the season and is now attempting to complete its third unbeaten season in a row. The Seahawks' got a scare on Tuesday, edging Parkside, 4-3, to remain unbeaten. Their record now stands at 10-0 with two regular season matches left. Should the Seahawks win out, they will complete their third unbeaten season in a row, a feat never accomplished in the 20-plus years of the program....READ MORE

Decatur Trounces Queen Anne's, 11-1

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's red-hot varsity baseball team continued its winning ways this week, riding a nine-run fourth inning to trounce visiting Queen Anne's on Monday, 11-1. The Seahawks scored three in the first and added a fourth run in the third on a solo homer by Chris Bunting. Queen Anne's attempted to rally in the top of the fourth, but an outstanding catch by Connor Malloy in deep right field ended the threat. The Lions got a single and a walk to put runners on first and second with one...READ MORE

Decatur's Drew Heading to Bloomsburg

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur wrestling standout Dylan Drew last week signed a letter of intent to attend and wrestle at NCAA Division I Bloomsburg University next year, continuing a steady progression of former Seahawk wrestlers moving on to the next level in recent years. Drew, an outstanding football player and wrestler at Decatur, will take his game to Bloomsburg University next year. Bloomsburg University, in Pennsylvania, has gained a reputation has a wrestling power in the northeast over the...READ MORE

Seahawks Ride Big Inning to 14-1 Win

BERLIN- Stephen Decatur's varsity softball team used a nine-run third inning to break open an otherwise close game against Queen Anne's on Monday and finished with a 14-1 win over the Lions. The Seahawks scored three in the first inning to set the table for the big win. Decatur scored three runs in the inining, but the real damage came in the third when 14 batters came to the plate. After Decatur scored three in the first, Queen Anne's mounted a threat in the top of the second. A single up the...READ MORE

Worcester Girls Outlast Gunston, 17-6

BERLIN- Worcester Prep's girls' varsity lacrosse team rode a big push early in the second half to put away visiting Gunston, 17-6, in the semifinals of the ESIAC tournament on Wednesday. The Mallards led 8-4 at the half, but Gunston showed little signs of rolling over. However, Worcester settled the issue with an run early in the second half including a goal just 30 seconds into the period to make it 9-4. A little over a minute later, Worcester's Molly Dickerson scored to make it 10-4 and Sara...READ MORE

Friday, May 7--Lee Files For County Seat To Help Minority District

SNOW HILL - Edward Lee made it official Monday - he filed to run for the District 2 Worcester County Commissioner seat. Lee will challenge long-time incumbent Jim Purnell for the District 2 nomination in the Democratic primary on Sept. 14. District 2 is the minority-majority district established by court order to give the county's minority population a greater chance at representation in the county's highest elected body. Lee stepped down last week as the long-time president of the Worcester...READ MORE

Star Charities Donate Thousands to Alzheimer's Association

Volunteers from Star Charities presented a check for $4,000, representing the proceeds of the 13th Annual Alzheimer's Gala to the Alzheimer's Association on Friday, April 30 at the Ocean Pines Library. Pictured, from left, are volunteers Lee Tilghman, Dorothy Morse and Eileen Salafia, Star Charities President Anna Foultz, Imgarde Heinecke, Barbara Mazzei, Star Charities Treasurer Stacy Schaffer and Damien Magarelli, development coordinator from the Alzheimer's Association. Photo...READ MORE

Hertrich Ford Loans a 2010 Fusion To Worcester Tech

Hertrich Ford of Pocomoke has loaned a 2010 Ford Fusion to Worcester Technical High School to help students prepare for the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition, to be held at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) on May 8. Pictured, from left, are Worcester Tech automotive technology instructor Anthony Saullo, Hertrich Service Manager Colleen Nichols, Hertrich General Manager Mike Culver, Principal Dr. Jane Pruitt and automotive technology instructor Clinton Timmons. Submitted...READ MORE

BIS Students Plant 40 New Trees on School Grounds

On Saturday, April 24, Berlin Intermediate School students with the help of their families, members of Ocean City Parks and Recreation, PNC Bank, Worcester County Garden Club and the OC Beautification Committee planted 40 new trees on their campus.  Local Arborist Greg Purnell and BIS Extended School Administrator Tamara Mills spearheaded the event, with the help of PNC and Principal Dr. John Gaddis. ...READ MORE

Kiwanis Sponsor Local Cub Scouts

Kiwanis Sponsors Cub Pack 480 Assistant Pack Master Tim Collins, left, representing the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines-Ocean City, presents a check to Pack Master Joe Coleman of Troop 480 in Ocean Pines for equipment. ...READ MORE

Ocean City Art's Night Held at Seacrets

Jim, Doris and George Glovier enjoyed Art League of Ocean City's Arts Night at Seacrets last month that featured local artists' work, a Chinese auction and good food and music. ...READ MORE

Scenes from Worcester Prep Art and Media Show

Polly Macnab, a Worcester Prep senior from Bethany Beach, shows one of her photographs there were on display during the school's annual Upper School Annual Art & Media Show. Submitted Photos ...READ MORE

BIS Students Learn About Oil Spills

Berlin Intermediate School students Stella Cunningham and Tony Mills used chips to simulate food in the water during an oil spill. With the cooperation and instruction of Jeanne Davis of Worcester County 4-H, students simulated an oil spill and its effects on the environment in the BIS and Beyond Afterschool Academies.. ...READ MORE

Worcester Prep Foreign Language Honor Society Inductions Held

Worcester Prep Foreign Language Honor Society Inductions were recently held. Among those inducted were, first row from left, Christopher Potvin, Hannah Gaskill, Olivia Massey, Riddhi Sanwal, Sarah Chaski, Ashley Foreman and Matteo Petrera; second row, Alyson Hartman, Erin Cook, Halie Murray-Davis, Abbie Tyler, Austin Coates, Erin Royal, Lynde Pepper, Katelin Talbert and Michelle Stickler; and, third row, Kayla Baier, Ryan McGuire, Cole Phillips, Catherine Reilly, Ellie Brown, Megan O'Donnell,...READ MORE

Buckingham Hosts Spring Party For Students and Mentors

Buckingham Elementary School hosted a spring party for students and their mentors. The mentors and mentees shared a special snack and worked together on a craft activity. Above, ELL Teacher Dawn Barrett and fourth grader Mickielia Minott show off the bracelets that they made for each other. ...READ MORE

Worcester Schools "Hit the Books"

Worcester County Schools' "Hit the Books" night with the Shorebirds was recently held. Pictured with Sherman are Grace Schendenman, Molly Compher, and Jessa Hoover from Showell Elementary, Camden Eberly from Berlin Intermediate and, front, Remy Trader from OC Elementary ...READ MORE

Showell Students Dress Up Like Voyagers For Reading Project

Showell Elementary third graders Jessa Hoover, Samantha Stephan and Daniel Zehnter dressed up as voyagers in conjunction with their reading theme. Hoover dressed in Hawaiian garb including a grass skirt, floral lei and mini surf board. Stephan wore Mickey Mouse garb to identify her desired destination, Disney World, while Zehnter has already voyaged to the Jamestown colony site where he acquired the hat and compass he wore ...READ MORE

Faces in Places

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

Mutual Support For Bridge Option Cancels Workshop

SNOW HILL - Consensus between Worcester County and Ocean City governments on the future Route 50 Bridge replacement has been reached, state officials said this week, allowing a June workshop on the bridge question to he eliminated.  Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) staff went before the Worcester County Commissioners Tuesday morning to confirm that both bodies of elected officials agreed on the approach to the future replacement of the Route 50 Bridge and to cancel a June event...READ MORE

OC Armed Robbers Sentenced

SNOW HILL - A pair of Pennsylvania men convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to commit armed robbery after Ocean City Police were able to identify them as two of three men who entered a downtown motel lobby brandishing guns last June were both sentenced in separate hearings in the last two weeks to 10 years in prison, six of which were then suspended. Last week, Jose Antonio Vasquez, now 18, of Reading, Pa., appeared in Worcester County Circuit Court for a sentencing hearing after pleading...READ MORE

Ocean City News In Brief

OCEAN CITY •€' In the brief this week, former Ocean City Mayor and current Delegate Jim Mathias stepped back into the council chambers to see his wife, Kathy, officially appointed to the city clerk's position and the infamous Sea Rocket has found a new dock to call its home. Delegate Back At City Hall The always animated and charismatic former mayor of Ocean City returned to the council chambers at City Hall for the first time since his 2006 resignation and thanked the council for their...READ MORE

Residents Hope For More School Funds....Eventually

SNOW HILL - With a maintenance of effort budget in the offing, speakers at the annual Worcester County public budget hearing made sure the County Commissioners were put on notice that a legal minimum schools budget would not be acceptable once the economy improves. 'The continual cuts cannot be made •€¦ it will eventually result in a disastrous decline in our school system,' said teacher Terry Springle, head of the Worcester County Teachers Association. 'We hope that you recognize that...READ MORE

Students Seek Scholarship Money At Auto Skills Contest

NEWARK - Scholarship money will be on the line this weekend when Andy Acosta-Ruiz and Jesse Bowden, two high school seniors from Worcester County, compete in the Maryland Ford/AAA Auto Skills Competition in Catonsville. 'It's a lot of pressure on these guys but it's going to be alright,' said Worcester Technical High School (WTS) automotive teacher Anthony Saullo. Acosta-Ruiz and Bowden scored at the top of an online exam recently, qualifying the two seniors for the state competition. Ten teams...READ MORE

High-End Shoplifter Sought

BERLIN - Local law enforcement officials this week are looking for a suspect who swiped an expensive bottle of champagne this week from an Ocean Pines area liquor store. Around 5:30 p.m., a Maryland State Police (MSP) trooper responded to the Barley, Hops and Grapes package goods store on Racetrack Rd. near Ocean Pines for a reported theft. The store clerk told police three male individuals had entered the store around 5:30 p.m. While two of the individuals were purchasing alcoholic beverages,...READ MORE

Fatherhood Adventures

I never imagined how much 8 p.m. would mean to me. There's no way to say it without sounding cold but by the time this hour comes every night I am ready for my little toddler to go to bed. All you parents fully understand what I mean here. Parenting is exhausting. My kids are the loves of my life (along with my wife, of course), and I enjoy and cherish every minute with them. They are the center of my life, and I would have it no other way. They mean everything to me. With all that sappy...READ MORE

We Remember Those We Have Lost

Virginia Holland Nicoll OCEAN CITY - Virginia Holland Nicoll, 101, of Salisbury, departed this life on Feb. 10, 2010, at the Wicomico Nursing Home. She was born on July 25, 1908, in Whaleyville and was the daughter of Dr. Charles A. Holland and his wife, Abbie White Holland. In 1916, the Holland family moved to Berlin where Virginia attended Buckingham Elementary, Grammar and High Schools. She graduated in 1925. She continued her education at Western Maryland College in Westminster, Md. In 1929,...READ MORE

Things I Like

Maryland's flag hanging off a house Elaborate Derby hats An old brick chimney Lazy weekend mornings Taking my kids on a walk Seafood and eggs for breakfast How a goofy puppy runs around Rocking chairs on a porch A storm to cap off a hot day Baby birds chirping The character of an old pickup ...READ MORE

People in Society

Snapshots of Those Lending A Helping Hand Throughout the Community ...READ MORE

Who's Playing When and Where Musically Speaking

707 Sports Bar & Grille 410-213-9507 12702 Old Bridge Road, West OC Friday, May 7: Overtime Every Saturday: Karaoke With Hey Mick Angler, The 410-289-7424 , Talbot St. On the bay Saturday, May 22 & Sunday, May 23: Nate Clendenen Buxy's Salty Dog 410-289-0973 , 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Tuesday, May 11: Joey Harkum, Streett & Jenn Grinels Wednesday, May 12: DJ JJ Thursday, May 13: Electric Company Caribbean bar & Grill Just off the boards on 2nd St. Friday, May 7: Dave...READ MORE

Resort Mulling Paid Parking For All Of Downtown

OCEAN CITY •€' As the City Council continues to look for the ace in the hole in regards to saving more money in the budget, the issue of more paid parking throughout the resort continues to be proverbially sitting at the table. This week, a new idea was pitched and it appears to make a lot of sense for some in the town's hierarchy, while others are adamantly opposed to anymore paid parking in Ocean City. City Manager Dennis Dare said that if the council wanted to look into ways to increase...READ MORE

Thoughts From The Publisher's Desk

When settling a stalemate, a telltale sign the right call was made is when neither side is thrilled with the outcome. That can sum up the situation involving the property on 64th Street. Ocean City and property owner Rick Laws have come to an unofficial agreement to transfer ownership of the land for $5.1 million. Reached this week, Laws and city officials indicated the deal was a result of a meeting of the minds. If the issue went to court, Laws would have likely received more than the deal on...READ MORE

Voices From The Readers

Go Forward With No Drawbridge Editor: Ocean City has complained for years about the Route 50 drawbridge. The City Council, in reversing themselves on the 45-foot high bridge, shows the short sightedness in their recent vote. The traffic problems will not get better with either of the drawbridge designs they now favor. Any time you are dealing with mechanical equipment, there will be breakdowns and wear and tear on these moving parts. Thus a stoppage of traffic into and out of Ocean City. On top...READ MORE

Future Will Judge Success Of New Laws

There seemed to be a lot of folks patting themselves on the backs this week after a package of new sex offender bills was signed into law in Annapolis. Pardon us if we don't jump for joy over something that does not guarantee any child is safer today than they were four months ago when a young girl was kidnapped from her Parsonsburg home by a registered sex offender and then brutally killed. The story of young Sarah Foxwell touched us all on Christmas Day, and her memory has been enriched by...READ MORE

Friday, May 7--Program Open Space Funds Unlikely To Surface For Years

SNOW HILL - While Worcester County has been awarded state Program Open Space funding this year, the actual funding will not be made available for two years. The annual list of Program Open Space recommendations, presented to the Worcester County Commissioners Tuesday, includes $10.8 million in projects over the next five years. Inclusion in the list, which the state requires and which must be approved, does not guarantee funding. 'It is not, and I emphasize this, a funding commitment. It's a...READ MORE

Friday, May 7--Positive Vibes For Season Prospects

OCEAN CITY - On the eve of another summer, Ocean City officials were decidedly bullish on the prospects for the 2010 season when they addressed resort business leaders on Wednesday. Proactive and progressive were words used often when a contingent of Ocean City officials addressed the resort's Economic Development Committee (EDC) on Wednesday. Mayor Rick Meehan led the contingent, which also included Communications Manager Donna Abbott, Tourism Director Deb Turk and Convention Center Director...READ MORE

Friday, May 7--Skeletal Remains Confirmed As Human

OCEAN CITY - Very little new information was made available this week on the skeletal remains found strewn along the beach in downtown Ocean City last week except for a confirmation from the state medical examiner's office the remains are definitely human, but more information came to light on the process by which they were collected. Shortly before 2 p.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City police responded to the beach at North Division Street in reference to a citizen's report of the discovery of...READ MORE

Council Tables Bus, Boardwalk Tram Service Cuts

OCEAN CITY •€' If the full City Council would have been in attendance on Wednesday, both the city bus and the Boardwalk Tram could have seen their duties lightened a bit in the name of cost savings. There have been indications that the City Council will look to trim the scope of services of both the off-season city bus schedule and the Boardwalk Tram, but with a few members short on Wednesday, they shelved the presentation from Public Works Director Hal Adkins and Transportation...READ MORE

Fed Hiring Incentive May Bring Boost For Area Employers

BERLIN - A new federal jobs stimulation initiative providing employers an exemption from paying Social Security contributions on recent hires, and in some cases, allow a significant tax credit on each new employee, could have an immediate impact for seasonal employers in the resort area. At the end of March, President Barack Obama signed into law the new Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act, an incentive package to get businesses to hire the recently unemployed. While the intent of...READ MORE

Harrison, City Square Off Over Inlet Lot Policies

OCEAN CITY •€' A dispute between the city and a business owner with a notable last name has led to a change in traffic patterns for those heading towards the Inlet parking lot this weekend and, presumably, this summer. Last weekend, local businessmen Hale Harrison, owner of Harrison's Harbor Watch and numerous other restaurants and hotels throughout town, took umbrage with the Ocean City Police Department's decision to close off access to the Inlet parking lot at Baltimore Avenue and South...READ MORE

Region Not Ruled Out Of Oil Spill's Reach

OCEAN CITY - While anxiety grows over the potential environmental impact of the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, coastal communities up and down the east coast including the coastal areas of Maryland are keeping a close eye on a variety of factors that could bring the spill's aftermath to their shores. On April 20, the high-tech Deepwater Horizon oilrig in the gulf exploded, killing 11 crewmembers before eventually collapsing off the coast of Louisiana. Over two weeks later, crude...READ MORE

Resort, Businessman Agree On $5.1M Land Deal

OCEAN CITY •€' A land battle that seemed destined to end up in court took a turn this week as the two sides settled on a price for a highly coveted midtown property without the help of a judge and jury. A verbal agreement between the town of Ocean City and local businessman Rick Laws has allegedly been reached to the tune of $5.1 million for ownership of the site of the old Slide-n-Ride on 64th Street. Laws owns the property and had begun the construction of a 104-room, five-story hotel...READ MORE

Convention Center Events Up 10%

OCEAN CITY - Town business leaders were briefed this week on the ongoing plans for the expansion of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, including aesthetic changes going on already, a second phase that includes the creation of a massive ballroom and a final phase that will create the resort's first performing arts center. Ocean City Convention Center Director Rick Hamilton addressed the town's Economic Development Committee (EDC) on Wednesday, bringing them up to speed on a variety of real...READ MORE

County Recycling Rate Dips

SNOW HILL - The county recycling rate for 2009 has gone down slightly compared to 2008, but it is still twice the legally required rate. The recycling rate in Worcester County went down 2 percent last year, with the 2008 recycling rate of 32.38 percent rate becoming 30.14 percent in 2009. 'This is still a good rate,' Worcester Public Works Director John Tustin said. By law, Worcester County must recycle 15 percent of its waste. That could be changed to 20 percent in the near future. This rate...READ MORE

High Court Reverses Murder Conviction

BERLIN - A Worcester County man found guilty on a second-degree murder charge and sentenced to 30 years for his role in the beating death of a woman in a rural area near Pocomoke in January 2008 could get a shot at a new trial after the state's Court of Special Appeals last week overturned his conviction because his request for a new attorney prior to trial was not considered. Kendall Irin Northam, now 21, of Pocomoke, was convicted of second-degree murder and first-degree assault in September...READ MORE

Jobless Costs Hurting City

OCEAN CITY •€' Driving the Boardwalk Tram in Ocean City is certainly not the most glamorous of jobs, but it appears it isn't a bad gig either. As the City Council nit-picked over the Transportation Department's budget on Wednesday, the biggest concern seemed to be with the amount of unemployment insurance being paid out on an annual basis to seasonal bus and tram drivers. It was also revealed that the conversation may have been sparked by a local tram driver boasting about his ability to...READ MORE

Mayor Briefs EDC On Current Events

OCEAN CITY - Perhaps in an effort to reassure town business leaders the approved and potential cuts to programs and services in the resort in the face of serious budget issues will not greatly impact the tourist season, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan this week briefed Economic Development Committee (EDC) members of a wide variety of 'right-sizing' measures being undertaken. Meehan addressed the EDC on Wednesday as part of a larger presentation by town officials on the town's marketing and...READ MORE

What's Your Sign?

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A seemingly stalled romantic situation could benefit from your reassurance that you want this relationship to work. And if you do, use a tad more of that irresistible Aries charm. TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Going to new places and meeting new people appeals to both the Taurean's romantic and practical side. After all, you never can tell where those new contacts can take you. Right? GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): That career-change opportunity that didn't work out...READ MORE

A Week In Business

Academy Graduates Realtors ANNAPOLIS - Eighteen graduates from the Maryland Association of Realtors® (MAR) 10th Annual Leadership Academy were honored at ceremonies held in Annapolis. The academy offers an intensive curriculum designed around developing skills in leadership, communications, strategic planning, legislative and government affairs and community involvement.  Classes are conducted over seven months and stress the value of professional and personal commitment to business,...READ MORE

Your Guide To The Estate Tax

OCEAN CITY - When it comes to the estate tax, a host of changes may affect millions more families. This Q&A can help you protect your legacy in light of the new laws. Q. What's going on with the estate tax? Is it gone for good? Or will it potentially apply to even greater numbers of people? A. Thanks to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, estate taxes and generation-skipping transfer (GST) taxes have been eliminated, at least for 2010. If Congress doesn't act...READ MORE