Articles

Commissioners Suggest Efficiency Study For Schools

SNOW HILL -- Worries over finances next year have Worcester County Commissioners already looking to the fiscal year 2013 budget, despite the fiscal year 2012 budget still being worked on. One possible suggestion from the commission to help weather the expected trouble next year is for the Board of Education to establish an “efficiency committee,” a request that Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jon Andes agreed would be taken into consideration. “We were very effective at the...READ MORE

Body Recovered In Pond After Accident

SALISBURY -- A search for a Fruitland man who capsized his kayak in a pond in Delmar late last Thursday afternoon ended in tragedy when his body was recovered the next morning. Around 4 p.m. last Thursday, James Edward Cain, Jr., 42, of Fruitland, was kayaking in Leonard’s Mill Pond in Delmar when his vessel capsized, sending him into the water. Cain reportedly called for help and residents on either side of the pond attempted to recover the victim, who had gone under and did not...READ MORE

Ocean City Seeking To Identify Free Fishing Areas

OCEAN CITY – A list of suggested free salt water fishing areas has been sent to Sen. Jim Mathias to present to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). According to Mayor Rick Meehan, there has been some confusion in the last year over salt water fishing licenses and free fishing areas in Ocean City. He said that in 2010 Maryland legislators passed a saltwater fishing license and there are fees associated upon registration. “They have created some free fishing areas where you still...READ MORE

Necropsy Confirms Minke Whale Died Of Natural Causes

FENWICK ISLAND, Del. -- Delaware Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute officials have concluded the 25-foot minke whale that washed up on the beach in Fenwick Island likely died of natural causes and was later buried not far from where it came ashore. Shortly after 9 a.m. last Thursday, the minke whale, estimated weight of around five to six tons, was discovered in the surf at the shoreline in the area of James Street in Fenwick. According to MERR Executive Director...READ MORE

Area Officials Stress Planning As Hurricane Season Begins

OCEAN CITY -- Wednesday marked the beginning of this year’s hurricane season, and Ocean City officials are warning area residents to start preparing now. “The public is part of the emergency management service,” said Joe Theobald, Ocean City Emergency Services Director, at a press conference held Wednesday. “We’re trying to stress preparation.” According to information distributed by Delmarva Power officials, who coupled with Ocean City and other emergency...READ MORE

Ocean City To Fund Gas, Golf Campaigns

OCEAN CITY – A free gas giveaway promotion and a golf advertising co-op were approved this week in one fell swoop through a compromise made among City Council members. Councilman Brent Ashley began the discussion by proposing to have an assessment completed on Ocean City’s summer seasons to examine data collected on its visitors. For example why or why not people come to town or if advertising efforts affect people who come or don’t come. Tourism Director Deb Turk explained...READ MORE

Hero Helps Women In Accident

OCEAN CITY -- A potential tragedy was averted last week during a two-vehicle crash on Coastal Highway when a Good Samaritan on the scene jumped in to help two elderly victims trapped in an overturned minivan until emergency services arrived. Around 10:15 a.m. last Friday, a white minivan attempting to turn north on Coastal Highway from 33rd Street on the bayside was struck broadside by a southbound vehicle that had just run a red light. The force of the collision caused the minivan to roll over...READ MORE

Slots Activated In Service Clubs

OCEAN CITY -- After four years of often contentious debate and disappointing outcomes in the state legislature, slot machine gambling began this week in service clubs for veterans’ groups and fraternal organizations in Ocean City and across Worcester County.   For each of the last four years, a bill that would have added Worcester to the list of eight Eastern Shore counties that allow a limited number of slot machines in non-profit service clubs and organizations in an effort to...READ MORE

Season’s First White Marlin Earliest Ever Hooked

OCEAN CITY -- The first white marlin of the year was caught and released off the coast of the resort last Sunday afternoon, marking the earliest date ever for the annual milestone and the first time it occurred in May. Captain Mark Hoos and the crew aboard the “Marli” were enjoying a great early season yellowfin tuna bite last Sunday afternoon when the first white marlin of the season off the coast of Ocean City came calling. Hoos said this week the crew had caught about 30 to 40...READ MORE

State Police, OCBP Partner For Summer Season

OCEAN CITY -- Local emergency services have another valuable tool at their disposal as the Maryland State Police (MSP) last week started stationing its Trooper 4 medevac helicopter at the Ocean City Airport on weekends during the summer season. Earlier this year, MSP Aviation began exploring better ways to deploy its fleet of medevac helicopters around the state in an effort to get the resources to areas where they’re needed the most and cut down on often critical response times. Trooper...READ MORE

Decatur Student Sets Md. Record Before Graduating

BERLIN -- A Stephen Decatur High School (SDHS) senior reaffirmed his record breaking pole vault at the State Track and Field Conference at Morgan State University on May 28. Brad Hollowell repeated the 15-foot, 3-inch vault that won him the event at the Bayside Conference earlier this month when he broke the previous state record by one inch. However, because the Bayside meet isn’t a state event, Hollowell didn’t technically break the record at the time. It wasn’t until he...READ MORE

Council Agrees To Transfer Funds To OPEB Trust Fund

OCEAN CITY – The newly stated retiree health care program has resulted in additional funds being directed to Ocean City’s Other Post-Employment Benefit (OPEB) Trust Fund. Last month, the Mayor and City Council passed a new ordinance concerning retiree health care for newly hired town employees. The ordinance states, “if an employee elects to participate in the high deductible health plan the town will contribute an amount to the employee’s health saving account (HSA),...READ MORE

Casual Designs Celebrating 50 Years In Local Market

BERLIN -- Despite the lackluster economy in recent years and a general slowdown in the housing market, Casual Designs Furniture has endured and is marking its 50th anniversary this year. According to Terry Bell, filling a niche while keeping expansion manageable is responsible for her company’s longevity during a time when so many other businesses have failed. “You have to pay attention to the changing economy,” said Bell, who has been a buyer and designer for 30 years for the...READ MORE

Second Year Brings Upgrades To OC’s Dead Freddies

OCEAN CITY – Dead Freddies Island Grill on 64th Street opened a year ago but is entering into this summer season with newly added space for family fun and a menu aimed to please all kinds of taste buds. Dead Freddies is the most recent location to open out of its three sites. The original is in Parkville, Md., and the second is in Bel Air, Md., which is titled just Freddies. According to Dead Freddies Manager Tara Wancowicz, the name of the establishment was created through a customer...READ MORE

Street Performers Win Early Battle

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Police Department was instructed to stand back from enforcing recently proposed regulations restricting Boardwalk performers over Memorial Day weekend and that will continue to be the case until the Mayor and Council decides on a course of action later this month. Boardwalk street performers protested over Memorial Day weekend by setting up their performance areas on North Division Street, which is proposed to be banned from the available space for artists in a...READ MORE

OC Officers Injured In Undercover Drug Operation

OCEAN CITY -- Two Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) undercover narcotics officers were seriously injured last weekend when they were jumped by four men during an arranged drug deal gone bad in the area of St. Louis Ave. and 4th Street. Last Saturday, the OCPD Narcotics Unit was working in the downtown area in an undercover capacity in an attempt to purchase illegal drugs from various individuals. Around 10 p.m., undercover detectives set up an arrangement to purchase marijuana from two...READ MORE

Holiday Weekend Gets Season Off To Booming Start

OCEAN CITY – The number of visitors to Ocean City this past Memorial Day weekend were record breaking, creating a brighter outlook for the resort area over the months ahead. According to Communications Manager Donna Abbott, this year’s demoflush population calculations for the holiday weekend saw an estimated 281,895 people, which is well over last year’s estimate for Memorial Day weekend, which was set at 254,717. “I have demoflush figures back to 1992 and I could not...READ MORE

Route 54 Work To Continue Through Summer

FENWICK ISLAND -- The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) announced this week road construction on Route 54 through West Fenwick will continue through the summer months. The project, which began last November, consists of widening the existing roadway and adding a 14-foot-wide center left turn lane in order to improve safety for vehicular traffic as well as bicycles and pedestrians. Improvements will also include six-foot-wide bike lanes and five-foot-wide sidewalks. The Route 54...READ MORE

Boat Ramp Makes Holiday Weekend Deadline

WEST OCEAN CITY -- The new public boat ramp at the commercial harbor in West Ocean City opened in time for the hectic Memorial Day weekend as planned last Friday after crews worked practically around the clock as the deadline neared. The extensive rehabilitation and reconstruction of the decades-old public boat ramp in West Ocean City was completed with little room despair late last week and opened around 12:30 p.m. on Friday as promised. The $450,000 project, paid for with a combination of...READ MORE

Non-County Student Tuition Costs Questioned By Shockley

SNOW HILL -- Out-of-county residents attending Worcester public schools could face a tuition increase in the near future. “I’m worried about the cost,” explained County Commissioner Virgil Shockley during a budget meeting with the Board of Education on Tuesday. According to Shockley, students from outside of Worcester that choose to pay to attend its schools are costing the county a lot of money. The current annual tuition for an out-of-county student to attend public school in...READ MORE

Bluefin Tuna Not Endangered, Data Says

OCEAN CITY -- Federal fisheries management officials last Friday announced an endangered or threatened listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna, a staple of the resort’s vast recreational fishery and important element in the multi-million sportfishing industry, is not warranted at this time, although the bluefin tuna remains on the “species of concern” list. During a conference call last Friday morning, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Secretary for Conservation...READ MORE

No Trespassing Program Pitched In Resort

OCEAN CITY – Resort authorities are looking to crack down on trespassers by waiving warnings and immediately taking action through arrest for those property owners who choose to participate in a no trespassing program. Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino explained that the current law in place by the State of Maryland regarding trespassing is when a subject is issued a warning and if that person repeats the offense then he or she is subjected to arrest. “I am proposing an...READ MORE

Governor Fills Wicomico Circuit Court Vacancy

SALISBURY -- Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley last week announced the appointment of Master Leah Jane Seaton to the Circuit Court for Wicomico County. Seaton will fill a vacancy created by the retirement of the Honorable Donald C. Davis. She has been a Master in the Wicomico County Circuit Court Division for Juvenile Causes since 2005. She also serves as a member of the Juvenile Delinquency subcommittee and Child in Need of Assistance legislation subcommittee, both of which are...READ MORE

Resort, Comcast To Meet About Digital Service Change

OCEAN CITY – A heads up was given to the Ocean City area this week that the Comcast cable and internet service is making a switch to digital service, and the proper equipment will be needed in order to continue functioning as usual. At the conclusion of Tuesday afternoon’s Mayor and City Council meeting, Councilwoman Mary Knight brought to the public’s attention Comcast cable company’s intention to transfer all services to digital. In an interview on Wednesday, she said...READ MORE